Nevada Governor Pulls Surprise Veto on Voter ID Bill

Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo unexpectedly vetoed a bill on Thursday that would have required voters in the swing state to show a photo ID at the polls—a conservative priority across the country and long on the governor's legislative wish list. The move brings a dramatic end to one of the legislative session's most surprising outcomes: a bipartisan deal that combined the requirement for voter identification with a Democratic-backed measure to add more drop boxes for mail ballots that Lombardo had initially vetoed.

• The bill came together in the final days of the session and passed mere minutes before the Democratic-controlled legislature adjourned just after midnight on June 3. Lombardo had been expected to sign it, per the AP.

• In his veto message, Lombardo said he "wholeheartedly" supports voter ID laws, but that he felt the bill fell short on addressing his concerns about ballots cast by mail, as such ballots could still be accepted "solely on the basis of a signature match" under the bill. Because it "would apply voter ID requirements unequally between in-person and mail ballot voters and fails to sufficiently guarantee ballot security, I cannot support it," he said.
• The voter ID requirements in the bill mirrored a ballot initiative known as Question 7 that Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved last November. But voters would have to pass it again in 2026 to amend the state constitution; the requirement would then be in place by 2028.
• Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, the Democrat who brokered the deal with Lombardo, said when he introduced the legislation that enacting a voter ID law would have given the state a head start on ensuring a smooth rollout before the next presidential election. In a scathing statement, Yeager called the governor's decision a "breach of trust," saying he believes Lombardo gave in to pressure around him to veto the bill.
• Voting rights groups condemned the legislation, saying it would've made it harder for some people to vote, including low-income or unhoused voters, people with disabilities, and older voters. Let Nevadans Vote, which describes itself as a nonpartisan coalition, said Thursday in a statement that the governor's veto only temporarily stops what it called "the misguided and ill-conceived implementation of voter ID in Nevada."

(More voter ID laws stories.)