Voters pass voter ID, reject ranked-choice

Voters passed a ballot measure to implement voter ID while opposing another to implement ranked-choice voting and open primaries.

Nevadans voted on seven statewide ballot measures on Tuesday, and a good mix of them passed with others failed. All the races have been called by The Associated Press.

Question 1, which called to remove the constitutional status of the Nevada Board Regents and provide legislative oversight over public institutions through audits, failed by more than 116,000 votes, receiving 54.9 percent votes against and 45.06 percent votes in favor.

Two other ballot questions — Questions 2 and Question 4 — call for amending language in the constitution to change language relating to people with disabilities and to remove language that authorizes the use of slavery as a criminal punishment. Both of those passed with large support. Question 2 received 65.4 percent votes in favor, and Question 4 received 60.1 percent yes votes.

Ranked-choice fails

Question 3, which called to implement ranked choice voting and an open primary system, failed by 8.6 percentage points, or by more than 105,000 votes, as of Wednesday morning.

It was first passed by voters in 2022 by 6 percentage points, and if passed, the question would have replaced the current closed-primary system with nonpartisan open primaries and a ranked-choice, general election voting system for statewide, congressional, U.S. Senate and state legislator elections starting in 2026.

The question had been met with opposition by both the Nevada Democratic and Republican parties, which argued it would sow confusion and lead to disenfranchised voters. Proponents said it would have allowed Nevada’s large share of nonpartisan voters to participate in a primary and force candidates to appeal to the more moderate voter.

“We are pleased that Nevada voters have said no to Question 3,” said Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, a group that heavily opposed the initiative, in a Wednesday statement. “Through our grassroots work, we saw that when we explained Question 3’s proposed policies and their consequences, voters realized that Question 3 was not in their best interests.”

Sondra Cosgrove, who has been a strong proponent of the ballot question, said she obviously wanted it to pass, but it’s not over. She and other proponents of the ballot question hope to put forward a bill in the next legislative session that would create an open primary. She said she had talked with some Democratic leaders who said they’d support the proposal if it was only about open primaries instead of ranked-choice voting.

“So we’re going to see who wants to run an open-primary bill in the 2025 Legislature,” Cosgrove said.

Question 7, which would require ID to vote and add extra security measures to mail ballots, passed overwhelmingly with 72.3 to 27.8 percent.

Ballot Question 6, which would enshrine Nevada’s abortion protections in the state constitution won 63.2 to 36.8 percent.

Lindsey Harmon, executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada, said the 2024 election was defined by the fight for abortion rights in a post-Dobbs America. The process for the ballot question was started in 2018, she said during the Democratic watch party at the Aria on Tuesday night, but it still needs to be passed in 2026.

Yes votes for Question 5 that would make child and adult diapers exempt from taxes passed with 73.7 percent of the vote.