It’s official: Nevadans will vote on abortion rights in November

Abortion in Nevada is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but voters will decide in November whether the protections should be added to the state constitution to further protect access.

The initiative aiming to guarantee abortion protections under the Nevada Constitution was certified by the Nevada Secretary State on Friday, meaning the measure will appear in front of voters on the November ballot. 

This comes after Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom submitted more than 200,000 signatures, gathered from all 17 counties, to the Secretary of State’s office in May. Statewide petitions need at least 102,362 valid signatures from registered Nevada voters, including at least 25,591 signatures from each of the four congressional districts in Nevada.

While Nevadans voted to codify abortion up to 24 weeks in 1990, the new ballot question would ask voters whether they want that same protection to be included in the state constitution. The current protections can be changed with another referendum vote, but amending the state’s constitution would make it more difficult to pass abortion bans or restrictions in the future.

The proposed language of the ballot measure also states that individuals or any health care provider “who acts consistent with the applicable scope and practice of providing reproductive health care services” cannot be penalized or prosecuted.

If the ballot measure receives a simple majority of the vote in November, it will then appear again on the 2026 ballot — a second passage is required to amend the state constitution.

“The support this initiative has received from Nevadans throughout the signature collection process shows what we’ve known to be true: Nevadans believe that healthcare decisions about abortion are best left to women, their doctors, and those they love and trust – not politicians,” said Lindsey Harmon, President of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, in a statement.