Abortion advocates say they have signatures to force Nevada ballot measure

By Ayden Runnels (contact)

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 | 2 a.m.

State abortion advocates on Monday celebrated completion of the first step to codifying abortion into the Nevada Constitution, having gathered over 200,000 signatures for a ballot initiative.

Members of the group Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom gathered outside the Clark County Government Center along with other local groups to highlight the success of their signature-gathering. Ballot initiatives in Nevada currently require around 102,000 signatures from across the state, making the over 200,000 a significant achievement for abortion activists in the state.

“The constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights builds on the current statutory protection by adding another layer of legal protection for abortion care, which is vital to our current national abortion crisis,” Las Vegas resident Brittney Kemp said during the gathering.

The collection of signatures is only the first leg of a long process toward amending the Nevada Constitution. The secretary of state must verify the signatures before issuing a “notice of qualification,” which would put the ballot question officially up for a vote in November. If Nevadans vote yes to the question, the amendment itself would appear on the 2026 general election ballot.

Nevada already has a voter-affirmed statute that guarantees a woman’s right to abortion up to 24 weeks, however the statute is much easier to change than an amendment. While legislators can overturn a statute, removal of an amendment protecting abortion would require a whole new ballot initiative process. That added security is part of why activists feel it’s so important to push for the amendment, and why they expect significant resistance from anti-abortion politicians and advocacy groups.

“I think what you’ll see in a state like Nevada is once that vote is in front of the people, that people overwhelmingly support abortion access, and I think (anti-abortion supporters are) terrified of that,” said LindseyHarmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom and executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes Nevada. “The folks that are on the other side of this argument are afraid of this going to the ballot.”

Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom initially pushed two different petitions, the first version being a general protection of reproductive access with similar language to the current statute, and a second petition solely focused on abortion. The second petition received the 200,000 signatures, which Harmon said was unfortunate because of its narrower language, but a huge achievement nonetheless.

Women’s reproductive rights activists at the meeting said they felt especially responsible to help deliver the amendment because of Nevada’s position in the Western United States, where several surrounding states are much more restrictive with their abortion access.

“When you’re a state like Nevada, when you’re surrounded by states like Idaho, Utah and Arizona, it’s important that we do everything we absolutely can to protect access in our state,” Harmon said.

Once the secretary of state sends out its notice of qualification, Harmon and other representatives said the campaign for the initiative would kick into high gear. Chief among the obstacles toward gaining the vote is overcoming misinformation about abortion, access and what the amendment would do, but those pushing the amendment say that the post-Roe landscape has made voters more knowledgeable than ever.

“We’re really excited about that opportunity, I think voters are more informed than they’ve ever been on this issue,” Harmon said. “It’s a really exciting time for us who have worked in this space for a long time to get to engage them and educate them on this issue.”

ayden.runnels@gmg vegas.com / 702-990-8926 / @a_y_denrunnels