Nevada GOP governor vetoes voter ID bill that he pushed for in a deal with Democrats

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo unexpectedly vetoed a measure connected Thursday that would person required voters successful the plaything authorities to amusement a photograph ID astatine the polls — a blimpish precedence crossed the state and thing that has agelong been connected the governor’s legislative privation list.

The determination brings a melodramatic extremity to 1 of the legislative session’s astir astonishing outcomes: A bipartisan woody that combined the request for elector recognition with a Democratic-backed measurement to adhd much driblet boxes for message ballots that Lombardo had initially vetoed.

The measure came unneurotic successful the last days of the league and passed specified minutes earlier the Democratic-controlled Legislature adjourned conscionable aft midnight connected June 3. Lombardo had been expected to motion it.

In his veto message, Lombardo said helium “wholeheartedly” supports elector ID laws but that helium felt the measure fell abbreviated connected addressing his concerns astir ballots formed by mail, due to the fact that specified ballots could inactive beryllium accepted “solely connected the ground of a signature match" nether the bill.

Because it “would use elector ID requirements unequally betwixt in-person and message ballot voters and fails to sufficiently warrant ballot security, I cannot enactment it,” helium said.

The elector ID requirements successful the measure mirrored a ballot inaugural known arsenic Question 7 that Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved past November. But voters would person to walk it again successful 2026 to amend the authorities constitution. The request would past beryllium successful spot by 2028.

Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, the Democrat who brokered the woody with Lombardo, said erstwhile helium introduced the authorities that voters seemed poised to springiness the last approval, and that enacting a elector ID instrumentality would person fixed the authorities a caput commencement connected ensuring a creaseless rollout earlier the adjacent statesmanlike election.

In a scathing statement, Yeager called the governor's determination a “breach of trust," saying that helium believes Lombardo gave successful to unit astir him to veto the bill, designated Assembly Bill 499.

“Lombardo was for AB499 earlier helium was against it, encouraging each legislative Republicans to enactment it, which they did,” Yeager said.

Voting rights groups condemned the legislation, saying it would person made it harder for immoderate radical to vote, including low-income oregon unhoused voters, radical with disabilities and older voters.

Let Nevadans Vote, which describes itself arsenic a nonpartisan coalition, said Thursday successful a connection that the governor's veto lone temporarily stops what it called “the misguided and ill-conceived implementation of elector ID successful Nevada.”

“Come 2026, Question 7 volition inactive beryllium connected the ballot," the radical said portion describing elector ID requirements arsenic “strict regimes” that “decide who gets to workout their law close to ballot and who cannot.”

Polls person shown that astir Americans enactment elector ID laws, and that has been accordant implicit the years and crossed enactment lines. A 2024 Gallup canvass recovered 84% of Americans were successful favour of requirements for a photograph ID astatine voting places, accordant with Gallup findings from 2022 and 2016. That includes astir two-thirds of Democrats, according to the 2024 survey.

Voters are either required oregon requested to amusement ID erstwhile voting successful idiosyncratic successful 36 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Not each states necessitate photograph ID, though. Some judge documents specified arsenic a slope statement, and immoderate let voters without ID to ballot aft signing an affidavit. A fewer states let canvass workers to vouch for voters without an ID.

Lombardo connected Thursday besides vetoed a measure that would person allowed the plaything state’s nonpartisan voters to formed ballots successful Republican oregon Democratic superior races.

The measure sought to see the much than 855,000 voters registered arsenic nonpartisans — the state's largest voting bloc — successful the process of nominating major-party candidates for legislature races and statewide offices.

A ballot inaugural to unfastened up primaries for each registered voters was rejected by voters past November. The sweeping measure, which besides attempted to instrumentality ranked prime voting, faced aggravated absorption from enactment leaders connected some sides who said it was excessively wide and confusing.