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Nevada voter ID amendment qualifies for November ballot

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Nevada voter ID amendment qualifies for November ballot


The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office confirmed on Friday that a proposed constitutional amendment to change identification procedures for in-person voting and mail ballots has qualified for the November ballot in Nevada.

The amendment includes provisions that would require voters submitting mail ballots to provide the last four digits of their driver’s license or Social Security number. If passed, the amendment would need to be reaffirmed by voters in 2026 to be permanently adopted into the state constitution.

The voter ID initiative’s qualification followed the verification of approximately 132,000 signatures by county election officials, exceeding the nearly 26,000 valid signatures required from each of the state’s four petition districts.

In May, the Nevada Supreme Court upheld a district court’s decision to deny declaratory and injunctive relief in a challenge to the initiative. The challenge argued that the initiative included an unfunded mandate and had an inadequate description of its effects, but the Court ruled that the initiative did not explicitly require an expenditure and that the description of effect was legally sufficient.

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The Repair the Vote political action committee organized the ballot initiative effort, and their president has expressed hope that the initiative would increase voter turnout among those who do not regularly vote.

Chairman of the Nevada Republican Party Michael J. McDonald celebrated the announcement, calling it “a monumental achievement for the people of Nevada.” He added, “The initiative to require photo identification or secure personal information for voting purposes is crucial for maintaining the integrity and transparency of our electoral system.”

Critics, however, claim the measure would harm certain communities. Executive Director of Silver State Voices Emily Persaud-Zamora stated, “The proposed voter ID measure would dramatically change our voting system and complicate voting for individuals in our communities … Voter ID laws disproportionately impact voters of color and do nothing to make our elections more secure.”

The amendment will appear alongside several other measures on the November ballot including initiatives to further enshrine abortion rights, introduce ranked-choice voting and remove language from the state constitution that allows slavery and involuntary servitude as forms of criminal punishment.



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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada

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IN RESPONSE: Cortez Masto lands bill would keep the proceeds in Nevada


A recent Review-Journal letter to the editor mischaracterized Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act, also known as the Clark County Lands bill. As the former executive director of the Nevada Conservation League, I wholeheartedly support this legislation, so I wanted to set the record straight.

Sen. Cortez Masto has been working on this bill for years in partnership with state and local governments, conservation groups like the NCL and local area tribes. It’s true that the Clark County lands bill would open 25,000 acres to help Las Vegas grow responsibly, while setting aside 2 million acres for conservation. It would also help create more affordable housing throughout the valley while ensuring our treasured public spaces can be preserved for generations to come.

What is not correct is that the money from these land sales would go to the federal government’s coffers. In fact, the opposite is true.

The 1998 Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act is a landmark bill that identified specific public land for future sale and created a special account ensuring all land sale revenues would come back to Nevada. In accordance with that law 5 percent of revenue from land transfers goes to the state of Nevada for general education purposes, 10 percent goes to the Southern Nevada Water Authority for needed water infrastructure and 85 percent supports conservation and environmental mitigation projects in Southern Nevada. This legislation has provided billions to Clark County and will continue to benefit generations of Southern Nevadans. Sen. Cortez Masto’s lands bill builds upon the act’s success.

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So here’s the good news: All of the money generated from land made available for sale under Sen. Cortez Masto’s bill would be sent to the special account created by the 1998 law. Rather than going to an unaccountable federal government, the proceeds would continue to help kids in Vegas get a better education, bolster outdoor recreation and modernize Southern Nevada’s infrastructure.

I know how important it is that money generated from the sale of public land in Nevada stay in the hands of Nevadans, and so does the senator. That’s why she opposed a Republican effort last year to sell off 200,000 acres of land in Clark County and other areas of the country that would have sent those dollars directly to Washington.

Public land management in Nevada should benefit Nevadans. We should protect sacred cultural sites and beloved recreation spaces, responsibly transfer land for affordable housing when needed and ensure our state has the resources it needs to grow sustainably. I will continue working with Sen. Cortez Masto to advocate for legislation, such as the Clark County lands bill, that puts the needs of Nevadans first.

Paul Selberg writes from Las Vegas.

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS

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Las Vegas High beats Coronado in 5A baseball — PHOTOS