Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo just did something that should make every conservative proud. He vetoed a bill that would have turned alternative presidential electors into felons. This wasn’t just about Nevada politics. This was about protecting our constitutional rights from government overreach.
The bill, called SB 102, passed along strict party lines. Democrats wanted to make it a felony to create or serve as what they call “fake” presidential electors. Anyone convicted would face up to four years in prison and a $5,000 fine. That’s serious jail time for what’s essentially a political process dispute.
What Really Happened in 2020
Here’s the backstory that matters. After the 2020 election, Nevada Republicans submitted their own slate of six electors for Donald Trump. Biden had won Nevada, but these Republicans were following a process that has happened many times in American history when election results are disputed.
Now, Nevada’s Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford is trying to prosecute these six people. He’s charging them with filing false documents. But here’s the key point – Ford himself admitted there’s no specific law against alternative electors. He’s using general document fraud laws instead.
Why This Veto Matters for Conservatives
Governor Lombardo saw right through what this bill really was. In his veto message, he pointed out the dangerous parts that should worry every conservative who believes in limited government.
First, the bill gave the Secretary of State’s office way too much power. Lombardo wrote that it provided:
“no timelines for investigations and no clear evidentiary standards, yet it authorizes the use of virtually unchecked subpoena and discovery powers.”
Think about that. A government office could launch investigations whenever they wanted, with no clear rules, and drag people through legal hell with subpoenas and discovery demands. That’s exactly the kind of government overreach conservatives have been fighting against for decades.
Second, Lombardo worried about “politically motivated or selective enforcement.”
We’ve seen this playbook before. Laws that sound reasonable on paper get used as weapons against political opponents. The governor was smart to see this coming.
First Amendment Concerns
The governor also raised something critics might miss. What if someone submits alternative electors as a symbolic protest, not trying to fool anyone? Lombardo worried this could create “First Amendment risks.”
This touches on something bigger. Our founding fathers understood that political protest sometimes means challenging official processes. Criminalizing that protest, even a symbolic protest, starts us down a dangerous path.
What Critics Are Saying
Democrats argue this bill was necessary to prevent future “fake elector” schemes. They say alternative electors undermine democracy and confuse voters about legitimate results.
Some legal experts claim alternative electors serve no legitimate purpose once results are certified. They see this as preventing attempts to overturn elections through backdoor methods.
But conservatives should ask: who gets to decide what’s “legitimate” political action? Today it’s alternative electors. Tomorrow it might be other forms of political organizing that challenge the establishment.
This Isn’t Lombardo’s First Stand
The governor vetoed a similar bill in 2023, calling the penalties too harsh. This shows he’s been consistent in protecting constitutional rights over political convenience.
That consistency matters. It shows Lombardo isn’t just playing politics. He’s applying conservative principles about limited government and constitutional protections.
What Comes Next
The legal cases against Nevada’s alternative electors took a new turn in December 2024. After a judge dismissed Ford’s original case for being filed in the wrong county, Ford refiled the charges in Carson City. His office is also still appealing the original dismissal to the Nevada Supreme Court.
These cases will test whether existing laws can be stretched to criminalize alternative electors. The outcomes could affect how future election disputes get handled across the country.
The Nevada veto shows what happens when conservative principles meet real-world governance. Sometimes protecting the Constitution means saying no to bills that sound good but do bad things. Governor Lombardo got it right.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
