2 days ago
Guns, voting: Lombardo rejects AB105, 6 other bills to bring total to 56 vetoes
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday vetoed a bill that would have outlawed carrying a gun at election sites.
Assembly Bill 105 (AB105) was a second attempt to keep guns away from polling places, and it met the same fate as a bill (AB354) that Lombardo vetoed two years ago.
Seven vetoes on Monday put Lombardo's total at 56, still 19 shy of the record he set in 2023 by rejecting 75 bills passed by the Nevada Legislature.
Lombardo reasoned that there are already federal laws against intimidating, threatening or coercing others in ways that interfere with their right to vote. He also cited a state law making it a felony to interfere with the conduct an election.
'The provisions in AB 105 are therefore redundant and do not offer meaningful new protections. Instead, they simply create additional 'gun-free zones,' without clear justification,' Lombardo's veto message said.
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Anti-gun groups criticized the veto and supported Democratic Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui's efforts against guns.
'Free, fair, and safe elections are a cornerstone of our democracy. In vetoing a bill that bans guns from polling places, Gov. Lombardo puts Nevada communities and Nevada's elections in danger,' according to Kris Brown, president of Brady United.
'The presence of a firearm alone at voting booths can intimidate voters, especially in a country where so many people have experienced the devastating consequences of gun violence. Everyone deserves to safely cast their vote, and this veto will make it harder for Nevadans to exercise that right,' Brown said.
Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said, 'In our years of experience with conducting an election protection program, voters have repeatedly expressed that feeling safe at the polls is a crucial factor when casting their ballot. While this is unfortunate, this will not deter us from fighting for gun violence prevention and voting rights for Nevada voters.'
Lombardo also rejected Senate Bill 156 (SB156), which would have set up a Special Counsel for the Prevention of Gun Violence under the Nevada Attorney General's Office. He argued it politicizes the issue of gun violence because the attorney general is an elected position.
Another bill involving elections, SB100, was rejected as an overreach that imposed 'unnecessary state-level control' over local decisions.
Democratic State Sen. Skip Daly sponsored the bill, which addressed a new wrinkle in the smooth operation of Nevada elections. Washoe County commissioners had refused to certify election results last year, prompting Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Attorney General Aaron Ford to file a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court to compel the commission to certify the vote. Daly's bill would have given that authority to the secretary of state. Two commissioners who were holding out eventually voted for certification. A third continued to refuse, but a 4-1 vote ended the matter on July 17.
Lombardo's veto message emphasized the portion of SB100 that dealt with the selection of ballot-counting systems. He said local authorities should choose the vendors they use.
Other bills vetoed on Monday: AB434, AB589, SB71 and SB428.
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