Nevada Lawmakers Approve Constitutional Amendment Guaranteeing โฃmail Ballotsโ in Surprise โVote
CARSON โCITY, NV – Nevada lawmakersโ on Wednesday night advanced a constitutional amendmentโ that โwould guarantee mailโ ballot access to all active registered voters, a move that circumvented potential opposition from Republican โคGov. Joe Lombardo. The resolution, SJR1, passed the Assembly 25-8 andโค the Senate 12-4, both alongโ party lines.
The amendment wouldโค enshrine existing state โlaw โregarding mail ballots – including provisions allowing โvoters to opt-out of receiving them – โinto the Nevada Constitution, making future changes more difficult. unlike traditional bills,the resolution doesโข not require the governor’s signature and canโ pass with โขaโฃ simpleโ majority in โthe Legislature.
Theโข proposal’s late introduction and swift passage drew scrutiny.It did not receive โคaโข committee hearing before the vote, and its existence was publiclyโข revealed shortly beforehand. Senate โMajority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro (D-Las Vegas), who introduced theโ resolution, explained thatโ lawmakers wereโฃ focusedโ on โprioritizing committee business and that the resolution was “ready โคto โคgo.” She added,โข “We had a lot of business to do here โคat theโ Legislature, a lotโ of โฃpieces of legislationโ that โhadโค to be moved. Resolutions doโ not require committee hearings.”
The measure also includes provisions toโ expand access to mail ballot drop boxes,a proposal Lombardo vetoed earlier in 2025,citing โฃconcerns over oversight. The drop box expansion had been โpart of aโฃ potentialโค deal with Assembly Speaker Steve Yeagerโ (D-Las Vegas) to enact โคvoter ID requirements,โค but negotiations stalledโ when Lombardo deemed the proposed โID rules insufficient.
This action follows the failure โฃof otherโค progressiveโฃ election reforms during โฃthe 2025 legislativeโค session, including โขa measure โto allow non-partisan voters to participate in primary elections.
Cannizzaro stated the amendment would “ensure access to fair and โฃsafe elections” inโฃ Nevada.
If approved again by the Legislature in the 2027 session, the measure will โคbe sent to voters for ratification on the 2028โฃ ballot. Theโข governor’s office declined to commentโ on Wednesday.