SHOULD GOV. LOMBARDO PUSH VOTER ID BALLOT INITIATIVE?

May 6, 2023

Rob Lauer Political Reporter

According to several sources, Gov. Lombardo is now seriously considering pushing his own election integrity ballot initiative next year with a voter ID requirement.

Gov. Lombardo has advocated for Senate Bill 405 and AB 88 which would require voter ID and require all ballots to arrive by election day. For the last couple of elections, a pattern has emerged. Republican candidates win on election night. Then, three or four days later, Democrats find just enough mail-in ballots to overcome their deficit and win. It happened to Laxalt, Marchant, and Becker last year.

Under current law, mail in ballots must be postmarked by election day not received by election day, allowing for the time gap and, frankly, causing many voters to question election results. In a recent poll, over 84% of Republican voters question the integrity of our election system.

Assemblyman Greg Hafen told 360 News:

“We need to show an ID to buy alcohol, to buy cigarettes, to go into a federal courthouse, or to fly on a plane. Those are just a few examples of things you need an ID for, so why shouldn’t you need to show an ID to vote?“

Hafen goes on to explain why his bill is different:

So what makes my bill different from all the other bills legislators have tried in the past that have failed? Well, mine addresses all the complaints Democrats make.  First, my bill doesn’t create any more work for election officials by creating a new process for voting. We would simply use the same process clerks and election officials already use for same day voter registration,  where you have to show an ID! 

Second, for all the people who claim parts of the community cannot afford an ID, my bill solves that problem by making Nevada identification cards free for anyone who claims financial hardship.

Finally, my bill also increases the penalties for election fraud. Right now, if you commit election fraud, you get a slap on the wrist and some community service. My bill would make it a felony. If we want our elections to be secure, we need to take elections seriously, and my bill does this. 

Democrats this week declared Hafen and Lombardo’s election reform bills dead on arrival.

Any such ballot initiative will cost over $1 million to gather the required signatures, more money to fight the guaranteed legal battle in the courts, and millions more to run a campaign. Only a Republican governor could pull this off in Nevada.