LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Gov. Joe Lombardo on Thursday said Nevada's elections were secure, but the state should still take steps to reassure skeptics that voting is accurate.
WATCH | Lombardo on elections, tariffs and more
The answer came during an event sponsored by the nonprofit news website The Nevada Independent, moderated by its CEO Jon Ralston at the Fontainbleau hotel-casino.
Ralston asked Lombardo about a recent social media post in which the governor said Nevadans deserve secure, fair elections. "Doesn't the state already have those?" Ralston asked.
Lombardo said we do, "in the majority" but that there was evidence of isolated fraud here and there. (The conservative Heritage Foundation's election fraud database lists just 11 cases over 10 years, a period of time when millions of votes were cast.)
"I believe Nevada does a pretty good job in maintaining the integrity of elections," Lombardo said. But he said practices such as ballot harvesting (in which a person who's not related to a voter delivers that person's ballot to an election center), mail-in ballots without identification required, or counting ballots that come in after Election Day, all lead to perceptions of fraud.
"You have to take that into consideration. Why not put mechanisms in place to secure that confidence that we've done everything we can?" Lombardo said. "There's people, whether it's right, wrong, or indifferent or perceived or not, they're frustrated and they want, why not give them the ability to feel better about the system?"
A voter-circulated ballot initiative that passed overwhelmingly in 2024 would require voters to show a government-issued photo ID when casting ballots in person, or to write an identifying number on their mail-in ballot. It will appear on the ballot again in 2026 and, if approved, go into effect in 2028.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., Republicans are supporting a bill that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote for the first time, and in some cases, before casting a ballot. Other ideas circulating including doing away with mail-in ballots entirely.
Tariff fallout
Although Lombardo boasted about having a relationship with President Donald Trump, he said it would be fruitless to try to change the president's mind on tariffs, which Trump has used to punish foreign countries he says have taken advantage of the United States.
Lombardo addressed an oft-repeated quote that he says was taken out of context, that Nevadans need to "feel a little pain" from tariffs. The governor clarified that tariffs have had some good effects, and in the long term would strengthen the economy.
"Because of [tariff] revenue, we're domesticating manufacturing. We're domesticating jobs back into the United States. That number has increased significantly, and there's nothing that turns on its head in an immediate, it's more of a long-term issue," he said.
Lombardo said tariffs are out of his control. "He's [Trump] made the decision, put his line in the sand, and said that's the direction we need to go," Lombardo said. "I can't control the tariffs, all right, but I can do something about it on the back end, to make adjustments for that and build upon our economic drivers in order that we are successful within our own environment."
Lombardo said he didn't think Americans should get a rebate of the tariffs struck down last week by the U.S. Supreme Court. Asked about a lawsuit joined by Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford — who is challenging Lombardo for the governor's mansion — Lombardo took a shot at his potential future foe.
"I'm glad you said the word 'join,' because he's never done anything on his own, especially for the people of the state of Nevada," Lombardo said. (Ford has filed — with other states — or joined numerous lawsuits against the Trump administration.)
Lombardo added: "There is no communication between the governor of the state and the attorney general of the state," Lombardo said. "No communication... and he has made no attempt even though I've made several attempts to communicate."
In response, Ford released a statement from his campaign that seemed to concede the point, saying that attorney general's staff has had talks with the governor's office.
“The more than 400 staff members at the Office of the Attorney General would beg to differ. My team is working on a daily basis with the Governor’s office to advise them on how to move our state forward," Ford said in the statement. "I have a long record of working across the aisle and partnering with anyone serious about defending Nevadans’ constitutional rights and keeping money in their pockets. Unfortunately, Governor Lombardo has never been that partner. Shame on him for attacking selfless state workers for political gain."
No mandates for vaccines
Although Lombardo acknowledged that "there's some vaccines that have been beneficial to the human population for centuries," he still said he preferred the government not mandate that people get vaccinated.
"I think it's more an education piece versus a mandate," he said. "If you use those words, similar to what we went through with COVID, where you know there was a lot of mandates associated with COVID versus education and better educate people so they can make an informed decision on what's appropriate for them and their families."
"I think it's more of a personal choice, and I think it's the government's responsibility to provide the education that goes along with it, OK?" he added. "And just to build off that, it's the government's responsibility to provide the service if people choose to go in that direction."
Groups including the American Medical Association and the World Health Organization encourage vaccinations to prevent the spread of disease, and conduct scientific research to determine their safety. That includes vaccinations against diseases such as measles, after outbreaks have been reported in recent weeks.
Do you have a a question about Nevada politics? Reach out to Steve Sebelius at Steve.Sebelius@ktnv.com.
