BALLOT QUESTIONS

Your 2020 General Election Ballot will include the following five (5) Ballot Questions: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. There is no Question 5 this year. For the full explanations, backgrounds, and arguments for and against each question, go here.

 

QUESTION 1

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) remove provisions governing the election and duties of the Board of Regents and its control and management of the State University and require the Legislature to provide by law for the State University’s governance, control, and management and the reasonable protection of individual academic freedom at Nevada’s public higher education institutions; and (2) revise the administration of certain federal land grant proceeds dedicated for the benefit of certain departments of the State University?

Voting YES, would remove provisions related to the Board of Regents from the Nevada Constitution, require the Legislature to create a law to provide protection to individual academic freedom for higher-education institutions, and revise provisions in the law related to the administration of federal funding for certain departments of the State University.

Voting NO would retain the current provisions of the Nevada Constitution, would not require anything of the Legislature, and would not revise the federal funding provisions.

QUESTION 2

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) remove an existing provision recognizing marriage as only between a male person and a female person and require the State of Nevada and its political subdivisions to recognize marriages of and issue marriage licenses to couples, regardless of gender; (2) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law; and (3) establish a right for religious organizations and clergy members to refuse to perform a marriage and provide that no person is entitled to make any claim against them for exercising that right?

Voting YES would amend the Nevada Constitution to remove the provision stating marriage is only between a male and a female, require that the state recognize all marriages and issue marriage licenses regardless of gender, and provide that religious organizations and members of the clergy have the right to refuse to perform a marriage.

Voting NO would keep the provisions defining marriage between a man and a woman in the Nevada Constitution and would not add a provision providing religious organizations or members of the clergy have a right to refuse to perform a marriage.

QUESTION 3

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) require the State Board of Pardons Commissioners—whose members are the Governor, the justices of the Nevada Supreme Court, and the Nevada Attorney General—to meet at least quarterly; (2) authorize each member of the Board to submit matters for consideration by the Board; and (3) authorize the Board to grant pardons and make other clemency decisions by a majority vote of its members without requiring the Governor to be part of the majority of the Board that votes in favor of such decisions?

Voting YES would require the State Board of Pardons Commissioners to meet at least quarterly, allow any member to submit a matter for the Board’s consideration, and authorize the Board to grant pardons and other clemency decisions by a majority vote without requiring the Governor to be part of that majority.

Voting NO would keep existing provisions of the Nevada Constitution that don’t specify the frequency of meetings and provide that the Board can only grant pardons or other clemency decisions by majority vote if the Governor is part of the majority.

QUESTION 4

Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended by adding a new section guaranteeing specific voting rights to all qualified and registered voters in the State?

 

Each voter would be guaranteed the constitutional right to:

  • Receive and cast a ballot that is written in a format which allows the clear identification of candidates and accurately records the voter’s selection of candidates;
  • Have questions concerning voting procedures answered and have an explanation of the procedures for voting posted conspicuously at the polling place;
  • Vote without being intimidated, threatened, or coerced;
  • Vote during any period of early voting or on Election Day if the voter has not yet voted and, at the time that the polls close, the voter is waiting in line to vote at a polling place at which, by law, the voter is entitled to vote;
  • Return a spoiled ballot and receive a replacement ballot;
  • Request assistance in voting, if needed;
  • Receive a sample ballot that is accurate, informative, and delivered in a timely manner as a provided by law;
  • Receive instruction on the use of voting equipment during any period of early voting or on Election Day;
  • Have equal access to the elections system without discrimination;
  • Have a uniform, statewide standard for counting and recounting all votes accurately as provided by law; and
  • Have complaints about elections and election contests resolved fairly, accurately, and efficiently as provided by law

Voting YES would add a new section to the Constitution guaranteeing specific voting rights.

Voting NO would make no change to the Nevada Constitution, but voting rights would still be protected by existing laws.

QUESTION 5

There is no Question 5 on this year’s ballot. This is so Question 6 can keep the same number it had in 2018 to avoid confusion.

QUESTION 6

Shall Article 4 of the Nevada Constitution be amended to require, beginning in calendar year 2022, that all providers of electric utility services who sell electricity to retail customers for consumption in Nevada generate or acquire incrementally larger percentages of electricity from renewable energy resources so that by calendar year 2030 not less than 50 percent of the total amount of electricity sold by each provider to its retail customers in Nevada comes from renewable energy resources?

Voting YES would amend the Nevada Constitution to require all providers of electric utility services that sell electricity to retail customers for consumption to generate or acquire an increasing percentage of electricity from renewable energy sources so that by the year 2030, no less than 50% of the total amount of electricity sold comes from renewable energy sources.

Voting NO would retain the current provisions of the Nevada Constitution and not require providers of electric utility services to generate or acquire more electricity from renewable energy sources.

Paid for and authorized by Institute for a Progressive Nevada