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 something that has long been 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 on June 3. Lombardo had been expected to sign it.
The voter ID requirements in the bill mirrored a ballot initiative 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 voters seemed poised to give the final approval, and that enacting a voter ID law would have given the state a head start on ensuring a smooth rollout before the next presidential election.
The Associated Press sent phone messages Thursday seeking comment from both Lombardo’s spokespeople and Yeager.
Voting rights groups condemned the legislation, saying it would have made it harder for some people to vote, including low-income or unhoused voters, people with disabilities and older voters.
Barbara Wells, president of the League of Women Voters of Nevada, said the voter ID portion of the bill would “not allow their voices to be heard.”
“In Nevada, security throughout the voting process is so watertight that any deception is extremely rare, yet those who pushed for this bill would have the residents of our state believe otherwise,” Wells said, adding that while it “was touted as a preventative or cure for voter fraud, it will create significant difficulties for many hard-working Nevadans.”
Lombardo on Thursday also vetoed a bill that would have allowed the swing state’s nonpartisan voters to cast ballots in Republican or Democratic primary races.
