Nevada’s in-person voter ID initiative coming to November ballot

By Taylor R. Avery Las Vegas Review-Journal

3 days ago

Ballot equipment is stored for later usage as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary ... — Ballot equipment is stored for later usage as Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford and Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar discuss 2024 election security at the Clark County Election Department on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024, in North Las Vegas. (L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @Left_Eye_Images

Nevada voters will get the chance in November to weigh in on whether to require photo ID for in-person voting after the secretary of state’s office declared the initiative sufficient to appear on the ballot.

Repair The Vote PAC, which is backing the measure, announced Friday that over 185,500 signatures collected and submitted by the group were certified by the secretary of state’s office, officially clearing the way for the initiative to appear on the ballot.

PAC Chairman David Gibbs said in a statement that he was “elated” by the news.

“The validation of 185,573 signatures underscores the strong support from citizens across the Silver State who are committed to protecting the sanctity of our voting system,” Gibbs said. “We are one step closer to enacting this vital reform.”

The group announced on June 25 — just one day before the deadline to submit 100,000 signatures in support of the measure — that it had submitted approximately 77,000 more signatures than required to qualify for the ballot.

If passed this November and again in 2026, the voter ID measure would amend the Nevada Constitution to require those voting in person during early voting or Election Day to show a form of accepted identification, including a Nevada driver’s license, a passport, a tribal or university ID, or another form of government-issued photo ID.

For those submitting mail ballots, the voter would be required to verify their identity by providing the last four digits of their Nevada driver’s license or the last four digits of their Social Security number when signing their ballot envelope.

As a constitutional amendment, the voter ID measure must be approved by the majority of voters in November and again in 2026 to take effect.

The initiative faced a lawsuit claiming it was vague and would require an unfunded government expenditure, but the Nevada Supreme Court voted to uphold a District Court judge’s ruling to reject the lawsuit in May.

Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on X.