LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — In Nevada, amending the state constitution is not an easy process.
It takes between four and five years to do, with at least one — and sometimes two — votes of the people before the state's governing document can be changed.
And that's what inspired a viewer to write to Channel 13 to ask: Why do we have to approve the voter identification amendment to the constitution again in 2026, if voters already approved it in 2024?
Here's why.
The measure
At issue is Question 7, a citizen initiative that would amend the constitution to require a voter to show an ID — a drivers license or state ID card, passport, a military ID, a tribal ID or a concealed weapons permit, among others — in order to vote.
At the polls, voters would present their ID when checking in to get a ballot. Voters who use mail-in ballots would write the last four digits of their drivers license number, Social Security number or county voter ID number on their mail ballot envelope.
The initiative grew out of concerns about non-citizens voting in elections, although documented examples of that happening are rare.
Proponents say the measure would ensure all votes cast in elections are legal votes, while opponents argue that the measure could disenfranchise voters who don't have identification.
Amending the constitution: the legislative pathway
There are two ways the Nevada Constitution can be amended. In the first, state lawmakers propose an amendment and ask voters for approval.
In this route, found in Article 16, Section 1 of the constitution, lawmakers draft a joint resolution that must be passed by a simple majority in both the Assembly and Senate.
Because it's a joint resolution and not a piece of legislation, it doesn't go to the governor for a signature or veto.
But it must pass in two successive sessions of the Legislature in order to be approved. If that happens, it goes before the voters for the final say.
If it's approved, it becomes law, and the constitution is amended.
Some examples of successful legislative amendments include the equal rights amendment or the state minimum wage, both approved by voters in 2022.
But legislative amendments aren't always approved: Voters have twice rejected an attempt to remove the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents from the state constitution, first in 2020 and again in 2024.
And some amendments are proposed and even passed in one session, but ignored in the next. That's what happened when an initiative to authorize lotteries in Nevada passed the 2023 session, but never came up for a vote in 2025.
Amending the constitution: the initiative pathway
There's a second way to amend the constitution: by the people themselves, under Article 19, Section 2 of the constitution.
In this method, voters file a petition with the secretary of state, and begin gathering signatures. They almost always face legal challenges from the start, most alleging that the required 200-word description of effect is misleading.
Once the legal business is finished, proponents circulate petitions, aiming to get enough valid signatures to account for at least 10% of the number of voters who cast ballots in the last general election.
(In 2024, for example, 1,487,887 people voted, which means a petition to amend the constitution in 2026 would need 148,789 valid signatures minimum to qualify.)
Once the measure qualifies, it must be voted upon by the people in the exact same form at two successive general elections.
Think of it like the little window that pops up on your computer if you're about to close a document you haven't saved, a warning that asks, "are you sure?".
In 2022, the voter ID measure passed with 73% of the vote, an overwhelming number. If it's approved again in 2026, it will become part of the constitution.
But that doesn't always happen: In 2022, a measure to change Nevada's elections to allow anyone to vote in a primary and to choose a winner by ranked choice passed with 52 percent of the vote. Two years later, however, it failed, 53% to 47%.
But even big numbers don't guarantee success. In 2016, a citizen initiative to create an open, competitive energy market passed with 72% of the vote.
After a hard-fought campaign against it, however, the energy initiative failed in 2018 by 67% to 33%, the largest two-year turnaround of any ballot measure in state history.
The bottom line
No matter which method is used, amending the constitution isn't easy. The legislative method unfolds over two sessions — three years — and then must be approved at the next general election, adding another year.
The citizen method takes about the same time, from proposal to two votes it's about a five-year process.
The intent of the framers of the state constitution was to ensure lawmakers and the voters themselves had plenty of time to consider, debate and decide whether they want a policy enshrined in the constitution, where it would be difficult to change.
And that's why Nevadans have to vote twice — either via their representatives or when enacting constitutional amendments by initiative.
