Last November, Nevada voters did something remarkable. They approved Question 7—a common-sense voter ID requirement—with 73% support. Not 51%. Not 60%. Seventy-three percent.
In a swing state where the margin between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris was just a few points, voter ID won by nearly fifty points.
That should tell you something.
There is a lot of confusion and misinformation about what Question 7 is; so, here are the facts.
If you vote in person during early voting or on Election Day, you need to show a valid photo ID. That means a Nevada driver’s license, a passport, a tribal ID, a university ID, or another government-issued photo ID. Pretty straightforward stuff—the same ID you need to pick up a prescription, board a plane, or cash a check.
Now, here’s the part that critics conveniently overlook: Question 7 doesn’t address mail-in voting. Not one bit. If you want to vote by mail—nearly all Nevadans receive a mail-in ballot—you can still do that. All you need to do is write the last four digits of your driver’s license number or Social Security number on your ballot envelope when you sign it.
Governor Joe Lombardo understood this from day one. He made voter ID a centerpiece of his 2023 State of the State address. He told the Legislature: This is what Nevadans want. This is common sense.
Those currently in power have a majority in both chambers of the Legislature, so they wouldn’t even give it a hearing.
So Lombardo did what any good public servant should do when the Legislature ignores the will of the people: He took it directly to the voters. And the voters spoke—loudly.
The campaign to get Question 7 on the ballot collected 185,573 signatures across all seventeen Nevada counties. That’s 80% more than the legal requirement. They had to fight off a lawsuit from Marc Elias and a coalition of progressive groups who tried to keep it off the ballot. The Nevada Supreme Court ruled unanimously—7 to 0—that the measure could proceed.
Then came the vote. And it wasn’t even close.
Seventy-three percent of Nevadans said yes. That included Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. According to Pew Research, 81% of Americans nationwide support voter ID laws, including 95% of Republicans and 69% of Democrats.
Even in Nevada—a purple state where elections are decided by razor-thin margins—voter ID won in a landslide. Why? Because it makes sense to people.
When you go to the doctor, they ask for your ID. When you buy cold medicine at the pharmacy, they check your ID. When you rent a car, open a bank account, or enter a federal building, you show ID. It’s not controversial. It’s not discriminatory. It’s just how we verify identity in a modern society.
The goal is straightforward: restore confidence in our elections. When people are aware of a verification step at the polls, they tend to trust the process more. Research shows that up to 5.7 million additional votes may have been cast in 2024 if voter confidence levels had been higher- a measurable impact on turnout across all party affiliations. Recent survey data revealed that almost 60% of Americans are dissatisfied with the current state of democracy in the United States. It’s about ensuring everyone feels secure, that their vote counts, and the system works fairly.
Nevada’s approach reflects what most of the country has already adopted. It’s practical, it includes safeguards for accessibility, and it addresses something that we all think is important: Election Integrity.
When Question 7 comes back to the ballot in 2026, it will likely pass again. Not because it’s partisan, but because it makes sense.
Secure elections benefit everyone. Nevada voters recognized that, and they showed up to support it by an overwhelming margin.
