For years, Nevada Democrats have screamed that voter ID laws are racist, unconstitutional, and would destroy democracy. They sued to stop them. They spent millions fighting them.
Now those same Democrats are proposing voter ID themselves but only if they get to fundamentally change how Nevada collects and verifies ballots.
The Great Flip-Flop with Strings Attached
Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, a Democrat from Las Vegas, is now pushing for voter ID laws as part of a deal with Republican Governor Joe Lombardo. This is the same party that called these laws voter suppression just months ago.
What changed? Nevada voters approved voter ID by more than 70 percent in 2024. Democrats know they can’t stop it anymore.
So what do they do? They propose voter ID themselves but only if they get Clark County to install 10 special drop boxes and Washoe County to get 5 special boxes during the few days between early voting and Election Day.
They Really Want Those Drop Boxes
Democrats are so desperate for these special ballot collection points that they’re willing to give up their biggest talking point to get them.
Governor Joe Lombardo already vetoed a similar drop box bill for lacking proper security. But Democrats want these boxes so badly, they’re trading away their core opposition to voter ID.
Why are Democrats so obsessed with creating new ways to collect ballots? Nevada already has universal mail-in voting. Every registered voter gets a ballot with prepaid postage that can be dropped in any regular mailbox.
The answer is about control. Regular mailboxes are run by the federal postal service. Drop boxes are run by local election officials, many of whom are Democrats in Nevada’s big counties.
The Dangerous Switch Nobody’s Talking About
While everyone’s focused on the drop boxes, Democrats are quietly making a more serious change: replacing signature verification with easily compromised ID numbers for mail ballots.
Even Nevada’s own county clerks are sounding the alarm.
The Nevada Association of County Clerks warned that:
“Relying on an ID number (rather than a signature) to verify the identity of someone voting by mail could lead to voter fraud because of the ease in which this information could be hacked.”
Your Social Security number has probably been stolen in multiple data breaches. Your driver’s license number is printed on speeding tickets, insurance forms, and countless other documents. This information isn’t exactly secret.
The clerks specifically warned that ID numbers:
“should be used as a secondary source of identification but should not replace the verified signature of a person as a means by which to cast a mail ballot.”
Even Their Own Allies Are Concerned
Douglas County Clerk Amy Burgans said county clerks didn’t even know about this amendment until after the news broke. That’s not exactly transparent government.
Progressive groups are furious about the voter ID part. The ACLU of Nevada called it “Diet-Republican policies.”
Athar Haseebullah from the ACLU said:
“If Democrats wanted to vote for these types of policies, they’d likely just vote for Republicans.”
But notice what the progressives aren’t complaining about? The changes to ballot verification and collection. That should tell you something.
What This Really Means
This flip-flop proves that Democrats never really believed their own arguments against voter ID. If these laws were truly racist or unconstitutional, would they be proposing them now?
The truth is, Democrats fought voter ID because they thought it would hurt them politically. Now that 70 percent of Nevada voters support it, they’re scrambling to get on the right side while making changes that serve their interests.
They’re betting that conservatives will be so excited about getting voter ID that we won’t ask hard questions about the rest of the package.
What Conservatives Should Do
First, support the voter ID part of this deal. We’ve wanted these common-sense protections for years.
Second, demand real security measures for ballot verification. Whether it’s signatures, ID numbers, or something else, there need to be safeguards against fraud and abuse.
Third, ask hard questions about those drop boxes. Why are Democrats so obsessed with creating new ballot collection points? What’s the real purpose here?
Fourth, watch Governor Lombardo closely. He was right to veto the original drop box bill for lacking security. Will he demand proper protections this time?
Fifth, ensure any deal includes strong oversight and transparency requirements. No more secret amendments that even county clerks don’t know about.
The Bottom Line
Nevada conservatives should be happy about getting voter ID laws we’ve wanted for years. But we shouldn’t let Democrats use our victory as cover to weaken other election security measures.
This deal proves Democrats never really believed their own arguments against voter ID. They’re political opportunists who will say whatever helps them control elections. The fact that they’re willing to trade their core principles for more ballot collection points and weaker verification tells you everything you need to know about their real priorities.
We can take the voter ID win while demanding that the rest of the election system remains secure. That’s not asking too much. It’s asking for basic election integrity.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
