Nevada voters approve abortion rights and voter ID constitutional amendments

Nevada voters approved two ballot questions Tuesday that will enshrine the right to abortion and require voter ID in the Nevada Constitution.

The Associated Press declared both Ballot Question 6 and Ballot Question 7 had passed as of early Wednesday morning.

Ballot Question 6 asked whether the state should provide a state constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability.

The measure appeared on track to be approved, according to unofficial election results as of 6:25 a.m. Wednesday, with 63.3 percent of voters in support of Question 6.

Supporters of the measure have said it is important to codify abortion rights into the Nevada Constitution following the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, while opponents say abortion was already legalized in Nevada under 1990 voter referendum and that voting yes on Question 6 would expand existing rights to facilitate late-term abortions and remove parental notifications for minors.

Leya Dow, 20, of Las Vegas, said before voting at Desert Breeze Community Center Tuesday evening that bodily autonomy motivated her to the polls.

“It’s a big part of my life as a younger woman,” Dow said. “I would like to be able to do what I would like to do with my body and have that choice and have that option.”

Reproductive freedom advocates also celebrated the win.

“Nevadans voted to enshrine reproductive freedom in the state constitution, ensuring medical decisions remain strictly between patients, families, and their providers,” Planned Parenthood Advocated Mar Monte chief executive Stacy Cross said in a statement. “We celebrate this victory, but our work is far from over. Planned Parenthood, in collaboration with this powerful coalition, will continue advancing access to reproductive healthcare across Nevada.”

Question 7 drew strong support. The measure, which seeks to amend the Nevada Constitution to require voter identification for future elections, received a ‘yes’ from 62.3 percent of voters according to results as of early Wednesday.

Supporters of Question 7 say it would improve election security and eliminate distrust in the system, while opponents say widespread election fraud is virtually non-existent and could disenfranchise voters who have difficulty getting the documents needed for a voter ID.

“It was the only bright spot of the evening,” conservative commentator Chuck Muth said during a Wednesday phone interview. “I think it’ll give people a little more confidence in our elections, and that’s what we were looking for.”

Question 7 will take effect in time for the 2028 presidential election, and the Legislature could begin creating additional policies around it as early as the 2027 session.

Both ballot questions were initially passed during the 2024 election. State law requires citizen-led ballot initiatives to receive a majority in consecutive elections.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X. Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com.