Nevada Senate Republicans Oppose Uprooting of the Electoral College System
(Carson City, NV, May 18, 2023) – Senate Republicans unanimously opposed AJR6, the national popular vote constitutional amendment, which would bypass the Electoral College system and ensure the candidate who wins the majority of votes nationwide wins Nevada’s votes for the presidency. With the national popular vote system in place, the will of Nevadans would not be accurately reflected and the pride of being a swing state would otherwise be eliminated. Today, AJR6, was overwhelmingly supported by legislative Democrats and passed the Senate and will be on the 2026 ballot if passed again during the 2025 session.
In 2019, similar language to AJR6 was passed by Democrats in AB186 and received a veto from Democrat Governor, Steve Sisolak. Following his decision to veto this legislation, Governor Sisolak stated, “After thoughtful deliberation, I have decided to veto Assembly Bill 186. Once effective, the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact could diminish the role of smaller states like Nevada in national electoral contests and force Nevada’s electors to side with whoever wins the nationwide popular vote, rather than the candidate Nevadans choose. In cases like this, where Nevada’s interests could diverge from the interests of large states, I will always stand up for Nevada.” Just four years later, Democrats are seeking to circumvent Governor Lombardo by sending the question directly to voters. The Democrats have been adamant that they oppose all Republican bills regarding election reform, including requiring voter identification at the polls, a reform a vast majority of Nevadans’ support. However, they have no issue uprooting the entire electoral system by proposing and passing this resolution.
“The Nevada Senate Republicans are strongly opposed to the implementation of the national popular vote in our constitution. Without the Electoral College, candidates could simply focus on heavily populated urban areas across the nation and ignore the concerns of less populated states like Nevada. The national popular vote would fundamentally change the way presidential elections are conducted and potentially set aside the will of Nevada voters,” commented Leader Heidi Seevers Gansert.