Nevada Abortion Rights Organizers Face Thursday Ballot Measure Deadline

Nevada has until just before midnight Thursday to verify signatures submitted by petitioners aiming to get a measure on the ballot to protect abortion rights — a measure that could help Democrats in the key swing state.Nevada’s 17 counties have until 11:59 p.m. Thursday to complete the signature verification process for ballot initiatives in the state, the most high-profile of which is a measure that would codify the state’s current abortion rights by enshrining them in the state constitution.In late May, the group organizing the ballot initiative, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, turned in more than 200,000 signatures, nearly double the roughly 102,000 signatures required. So far, though, the secretary of state’s office has not yet confirmed whether enough signatures were verified for the ballot measure to appear this November.If passed, the referendum would write current protections into the state constitution. As it stands, the right to an abortion in Nevada is protected through 24 weeks of pregnancy.Before it would go into effect, voters would need to approve the ballot measure again in 2026. All ballot measures that would change the state constitution require two votes before they can go into effect.Tied to the abortion rights ballot measure are the potential political implications in the crucial swing state.President Biden attempted to seize on this opportunity on Monday, releasing a campaign video on the anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, saying that “Roe is just the beginning” and that Republicans are “coming for IVF and birth control next.”Nevada is one of six or seven swing states expected to decide the 2020 presidential election, and Democrats are hoping that ballot measures like the one in Nevada might be able to help them bring out voters who are apathetic about Mr. Biden’s re-election.While a ballot measure is unlikely to have a big effect on turnout in a presidential election year — a time when almost anyone who can be convinced to vote can be expected to vote — Democrats wouldn’t need the measure to have a big effect for it to benefit them in a state like Nevada.In 2020, Mr. Biden won Nevada, defeating President Trump by 2.4 points, and in 2022, Senator Masto defeated the Republican nominee by less than one point.The most recent polling from Emerson College and the Hill suggests that the race might be even closer this year. In a head-to-head race, Mr. Biden and the former president are statistically tied at 50 percent support each.When other candidates are included, Mr. Biden’s support slips to 39 percent while Trump’s slides to 42 percent. However, in the Senate race the same poll found the incumbent Democrat, Senator Rosen, leading the Republican nominee by 12 points, suggesting there are voters who will vote for Democrats that, for one reason or another, do not want to come out for Mr. Biden.One major reproductive rights advocacy group, Planned Parenthood, announced earlier this week that it would be launching a campaign to try to get those voters out to the polls and said it would spend $40 million trying to get Mr. Biden and other Democrats re-elected.The organization also announced that it would be launching campaigns in specific states, including Nevada as well as Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, and California.Planned Parenthood is also one of the groups involved in the $100 million Abortion Access Now campaign, announced Tuesday, which also includes efforts from the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights aimed at securing abortion rights through mobilizing voters.“This campaign is committed to building and leading a broad, inclusive vision for abortion access, ensuring everyone can make fundamental decisions about their health and bodies with dignity and support,” the campaign said in its announcement.On one hand, the new campaigns are a counterbalance to anti-abortion rights groups, which have dedicated millions of dollars to electing Republicans and limiting abortion rights, like SBA Pro-Life America, which launched a $92 million campaign across eight states in February.On the other hand, the money and activist organizing is likely only helpful to Democrats, who are working to get as many of their voters to the polls as possible in November.

Nevada Abortion Rights Organizers Face Thursday Ballot Measure Deadline

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