What you need to know about Nevada’s 7 ballot questions in 2024

Nevada voters will have a lot more to decide this year than simply choosing their favorite candidates. Seven ballot questions — some put forward by the Legislature and some through petition drives — could make significant changes to state laws, from overhauling how the state conducts elections to eliminating sales taxes on a key grocery item for many Nevada families. Here’s a rundown of the seven questions on the Nov. 5 ballot, what they propose, and what supporters and opponents have to say about them.

Question 1

Nevada Board of Regents

What it would do: It would remove the constitutional status of the Nevada Board of Regents, the governing body of Nevada’s universities, providing legislative oversight of public institutions through audits.

What supporters say: It would provide necessary oversight and accountability for the board, which for years has struggled keeping a chancellor in place and faced complaints of ineffectiveness.

What opponents say: Removing the constitutional status of the board would not fix the problems in higher education, and the Legislature has already taken steps to address problems in the system, including implementing term limits for regents.

Question 2

Replacing disability-related language in the Nevada constitution

What it would do: It would replace outdated language used to describe people with disabilities. The Nevada Constitution has a provision that requires the state to support “institutions for the benefit of the “insane, blind and deaf and dumb.” The ballot question would replace “insane” with “persons with significant mental illness,” the word “blind” with “persons who are blind or visually impaired,” and “deaf and dumb” to “persons who are hard of hearing.” A resolution placing the question on the ballot passed unanimously in the Nevada Legislature.

What supporters say: The question is a necessary starting point to provide people with special needs the right kind of care; it’s time to update the constitution to reflect more modern language.

What opponents say: Changes to the Nevada Constitution should be rare, and the question would not have a tangible impact on the types of institutions supported by the state, according to arguments included in the secretary of state’s ballot question guide. Also, the state constitution is a historical document and cannot be expected to keep pace with the ever-changing nature of language.

Question 3

Ranked choice voting and open primaries

What it would do: It would replace the current closed-primary system with nonpartisan open primaries, with the top-five finishers moving on to a general election whose winner would be determined with ranked-choice voting. It would affect elections for statewide offices, the U.S. House and Senate and the Nevada Legislature starting in 2026. In ranked-choice voting, the candidate with more than 50 percent of the vote wins. If no candidate wins in the first count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated, and the second-choice candidate on those ballots is counted instead. The process repeats until one candidate passes the 50 percent margin. Voters passed the initiative in 2022, but because it would amend the Nevada Constitution, it must be voted on again in November.

What supporters say: The new system would allow nonpartisan voters to participate in an important part of the electoral process and make way for more moderate, down-the-middle candidates.

What opponents say: The system would cause mass confusion and disenfranchise voters, and it would be more costly. Opponents include the Republican and Democratic parties.

Question 4

Removing language authorizing the use of slavery as a criminal punishment

What it would do: It would remove language authorizing the use of slavery as a criminal punishment. Under the Nevada Constitution, slavery and involuntary servitude are prohibited, except as punishment for a crime. A resolution putting the question on the ballot was unanimously approved by the Nevada Legislature.

What supporters say: The current language is offensive and unnecessary. Slavery should not exist in any form, including in prison systems.

What opponents say: It could lead to unintended consequences within the criminal justice system relating to prison work requirements and community service, according to arguments against passage in the ballot question guide published by the secretary of state’s office.

Question 5

Make child and adult diapers exempt from taxes

What it would do: It would exempt child and adult diapers from the state’s sales tax by amending the Sales and Use Tax Act of 1955. The Nevada Legislature unanimously passed a bill putting the question on the ballot in 2023.

What supporters say: It would provide families some relief amid the high cost of groceries. Nevada families spend on average $1,000 on diapers per child each year and pay up to $84 in sales tax on those diapers, according to the ballot question guide released by the secretary of state’s office.

What opponents say: It would result in less sales tax revenue for state and local governments, and it is expected to reduce sales tax revenues by at least $400 million between 2025 and 2050, according to the secretary of state’s office ballot question guide.

Question 6

Abortion codified in constitution

What it would do: It would enshrine Nevada’s abortion rights into the Nevada Constitution. Abortion within 24 weeks of pregnancy is already protected in Nevada through a 1990 voter referendum, and abortion may be performed after 24 weeks if a physician has reasonable cause to believe an abortion is necessary to the health of the pregnant person. The ballot question pushed forward as an initiative petition, which if passed in November would go before voters again in 2026, would seek to place those protections in the state constitution rather than just a state statute.

What supporters say: The question would add a permanent layer of protection to the rights to an abortion and to make decisions about one’s own body.

What opponents say: Current law already protects abortions, and the ballot question will create uncertainties, such as potentially giving parents no say if their minor daughters seek an abortion. The financial impact of the question also can’t be determined.

Question 7

Voter ID

What it would do: It would require voters to show a form of acceptable identification to vote in person during early voting or on Election Day, such as a Nevada driver’s license, a passport, tribal or university ID or another form of government-issued photo ID. The ballot question, stemming from an initiative petition, also would require voters who submit mail-in ballots to verify their identity by providing the last four digits of their Nevada driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number when signing their ballot envelope. If the ballot question passes, it will go before voters again in the 2026 election.

What supporters say: It is a way to improve election security and make sure the ballot belongs to the person casting it. Thirty-six other states require or request ID to vote, and Nevada would become the 37th.

What opponents say: Nevada’s elections are already secure, and the question would restrict who gets to vote, as not everybody has access to an ID. Voter fraud is incredibly rare, and when it happens, it is prosecuted.