Trump Rallies for Nevada Caucusgoers to Also Support Voter ID Ballot Petition

Republican presidential candidate and former President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Big League Dreams Las Vegas in Las Vegas on Jan. 27, 2024. David Becker/Getty Images

Former President Donald Trump is endorsing an effort to implement voter ID requirements in Nevada elections and has called on voters turning out for the Nevada Republican presidential caucus on Thursday night to also take the opportunity to sign a petition that will place the voter ID issue on the state’s ballot in the 2024 election.

“A very important effort is now underway in Nevada to amend the State Constitution to require VOTER ID. But this can only happen if enough Citizens of Nevada sign the Petition to put the proposed VOTER ID Amendment on the Ballot for the November 5, 2024 Election,” President Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account on Thursday afternoon.

“If you are showing up today to vote in the GOP Caucus in Nevada, make sure to sign the Petition for VOTER ID that many people will be circulating at Caucus locations,” his post continued. “This is a very ‘Big Deal.’ Thank you.”

The petition to get the voter ID issue on the ballot in Nevada is led by a political action committee called Repair the Vote, which is led by former Nevada Republican Club President and former Clark County Republican Party Chair David Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs submitted paperwork to begin gathering signatures for the ballot petition.

Under state law, petition supporters must gather and submit at least 102,362 signatures by July 8, 2024, to qualify for the 2024 ballot, with at least 25,591 signatures coming from each of the state’s four congressional districts. As a constitutional initiative, it would need to pass twice in subsequent elections (2024 and 2026) to take effect. Repair the Vote’s website states they need the petition signatures by no later than June 26.

Article 19, Section 2(4) of Nevada’s constitution also stipulates that ballot initiatives proposing an amendment to the state’s constitution must be approved in two consecutive general elections. If a majority of voters support the ballot initiative in the 2024 election, it will automatically come back up again in the 2026 midterm election and will have to again garner support from a majority of voters before it can go into effect in subsequent elections.

A poll conducted last year by the Nevada Independent found that 74 percent of likely voters in Nevada approve of voter ID. Ninety-three percent of Republicans polled on that question supported voter ID. Sixty-eight percent of independents and 62 percent of Democrats polled also supported voter ID requirements.

“Multiple times over the years, Legislators have introduced bills to require Voter ID,” Repair the Vote’s website states. “None have even received a hearing. The only way this is going to become a reality in Nevada is for the citizens to take it upon themselves and Bring It To The Ballot.”

Republicans held both houses of the Nevada state legislature from 2014 to 2016, but Democrats have controlled the state legislature since then.

Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Voter ID Petition

Though the petition to include the voter ID question on the 2024 ballot is actively gathering signatures, it is currently facing a legal challenge.

In December, a Nevada voter named Jennifer Fleischmann argued that the ballot question would create an unfunded mandate. Her complaint argues that voter ID constitutes an unlawful poll tax unless Nevada were to offer such voter ID for free to all voters.

Ms. Fleishmann’s lawsuit also contends that the official description of effect for the ballot petition is “deceptive and misleading and fails to explain the ramifications” of its effect. Her complaint argues that the petition’s description does not clearly explain the requirements for an eligible voter ID and fails to mention a federal law that election workers must offer a provisional ballot to those who claim eligibility.

Ms. Fleishmann’s legal challenge to the ballot petition is supported by multiple attorneys, including Daniel Cohen of the Elias Law Group.

The Elias Law Group describes itself as a “mission-driven firm committed to helping Democrats win, citizens vote, and progressives make change” and as “the nation’s largest law firm focused on representing the Democratic Party, Democratic campaigns, nonprofit organizations, and individuals committed to securing a progressive future.”

From NTD News