LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo on Monday vetoed a invoice that might have outlawed carrying a gun at election websites.
Meeting Invoice 105 (AB105) was a second try to hold weapons away from polling locations, and it met the identical destiny as a invoice (AB354) that Lombardo vetoed two years in the past.
Seven vetoes on Monday put Lombardo’s complete at 56, nonetheless 19 shy of the report he set in 2023 by rejecting 75 payments handed by the Nevada Legislature.
Lombardo reasoned that there are already federal legal guidelines towards intimidating, threatening or coercing others in ways in which intervene with their proper to vote. He additionally cited a state regulation making it a felony to intervene 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 stated.
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Anti-gun teams criticized the veto and supported Democratic Meeting Majority Ground Chief Sandra Jauregui’s efforts towards weapons.
“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,” in response 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 stated.
Emily Persaud-Zamora, govt director of Silver State Voices, stated, “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 additionally rejected Senate Invoice 156 (SB156), which might have arrange a Particular Counsel for the Prevention of Gun Violence beneath the Nevada Lawyer Common’s Workplace. He argued it politicizes the difficulty of gun violence as a result of the lawyer normal is an elected place.
One other invoice involving elections, SB100, was rejected as an overreach that imposed “unnecessary state-level control” over native choices.
Democratic State Sen. Skip Daly sponsored the invoice, which addressed a brand new wrinkle within the clean operation of Nevada elections. Washoe County commissioners had refused to certify election outcomes final yr, prompting Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar and Lawyer Common Aaron Ford to file a petition with the Nevada Supreme Court docket to compel the fee to certify the vote. Daly’s invoice would have on condition that authority to the secretary of state. Two commissioners who had been holding out ultimately voted for certification. A 3rd continued to refuse, however a 4-1 vote ended the matter on July 17.
Lombardo’s veto message emphasised the portion of SB100 that handled the collection of ballot-counting methods. He stated native authorities ought to select the distributors they use.
Different payments vetoed on Monday: AB434, AB589, SB71 and SB428.
