Lombardo rejects compromise from Democrats on ballot boxes, voter ID

Drop boxes of mail ballots arrive at the Clark County Election Department after the polls close in Nevada on election night, Tuesday Nov. 5, 2024. Photo by: Christopher DeVargas

An attempt by Nevada Democrats to compromise with Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo by attaching voter ID requirements — a longtime wish of the GOP — to Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager’s bill to expand ballot boxes has fallen short. 

Yeager’s bill would have ensured at least 10 mail ballot drop box locations in Clark County and five in Washoe County between the end of early voting and Election Day.

“I wholeheartedly support voter ID and am appreciative of the effort to codify it into statute,” the governor wrote in his veto message of Assembly Bill 499. “However, this bill is not entirely consistent with the constitutional amendment that Nevada voters will consider again in 2026.”

Nevadans in 2024 overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative to require an ID to vote in person or by mail. It requires two approvals by voters, and will again be on the ballot in 2026.

Lombardo argued that Yeager's version of the legislation would create a two-tier system between in-person voting, where an ID would be required each time, and voting using a mail ballot, which could still be accepted with just a signature match.

"This inconsistency undermines the principle of uniform voter verification. Voter ID is essential for ensuring election integrity, and it should be applied consistently across all voting methods," the governor wrote.

But Lombardo said the bill would “authorize the use of ballot drop boxes in a way that could increase the risk of ballot harvesting.”

“While I am amenable to expanding access to ballot drop boxes, such expansion must be accompanied by appropriate and effective security measures,” Lombardo said in the veto message. “My Office proposed language to the bill’s proponents that would have addressed these concerns.”

Lombardo reiterated in a social media post that his office “offered common-sense improvements” that went ignored.