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.

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.