(Ellen Gifford) – On Tuesday, June 17th, I watched the Chris Salcedo show on Newsmax and suddenly saw a banner appear on the screen that read, “Nevada Governor Vetoes “Untenable” Voter ID Bill.”
This was accompanied by Mr. Salcedo’s commentary stating that Governor Lombardo was an example of a “fake republican” and ending with the suggestion that when Nevada’s voters vote out all opponents of voter ID, they should consider the Governor’s veto of voter ID.
I was shocked!
The bill that Mr. Salcedo was referring to was Senate Bill 422.
This bill has numerous statements that either a driver’s license or an identification card, issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, can be used when registering to vote.
In his Veto letter to the legislators, the Governor stated . . .
“…because existing federal law allows certain non-citizens with lawful status to obtain a REAL ID, simply requiring a REAL ID or similar identification does not fully ensure that only eligible citizens are registering to vote. This is an untenable result.”
An untenable RESULT…NOT untenable VOTER ID!
Nonetheless, Mr. Salcedo asked his viewers the question, “Is voter ID untenable?”
This was clearly a misinterpretation.
Was there any fact-checking done by Mr. Salcedo or anyone at Newsmax? Did they even read the Governor’s Veto letter? Does Mr. Salcedo simply read anything that’s placed before him while his show is being aired to the public?
Several emails have been sent to both Newsmax and Mr. Salcedo, pointing out their incorrect account of what actually took place and providing backup information to clarify the dangers of Senate Bill 422.
A retraction is definitely in order here.
There has been no response. Hopefully, this article will set things straight for all of the other folks who were watching Newsmax that day.
Governor Lombardo vetoed that bill because it opened the door to ineligible people voting.
In fact, in his Veto letter for Assembly Bill 499, (which also would have jeopardized the integrity of our elections), the Governor states: “I wholeheartedly support Voter ID…”
If anyone at Newsmax had done their homework, they could have quoted that instead.
I’m a great fan of Newsmax and all their shows. This delivery of misleading information was very disappointing to me.
I believe Governor Lombardo deserves an apology.
Ms. Gifford is on the Leadership Team for Volunteer Nevada! The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Nevada News & Views.
