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Read. Follow. Verify.Nevada AB 147 requires proof of identity to vote in person and adds identification requirements for mail-in ballots
Last action · April 12, 2025: (Pursuant to Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3.1, no further action allowed.)Sponsor: Gregory Hafen
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What This Bill Proposed
Assembly Bill 147 requires voters in Nevada to present an acceptable form of photo identification when voting in person starting January 1, 2026. The legislation also mandates that mail-in voters include the last four digits of their driver's license or social security number (or a county-issued ID number) on the return envelope, and directs the Department of Motor Vehicles to provide free identification cards to registered voters experiencing financial hardship.
Changes voting procedures for all Nevada residents casting ballots in person or by mail, introducing new document requirements for poll verification while providing free state-issued IDs to qualified residents claiming financial hardship.
- Voter identification laws vary by state, with several states requiring government-issued photo identification to cast a ballot in person. context
- Nevada utilizes both in-person polling places and universal mail-in voting for active registered voters. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Registered voters in Nevada
Must present specific photo identification to vote in person and supply identifying numbers on mail-in ballot return envelopes.
Department of Motor Vehicles
Required to issue identification cards free of charge to registered voters who attest to financial hardship.
County and city clerks
Must verify mail-in ballot identifying numbers, process provisional ballots, and ensure required voting notices are posted.
Key Facts
- AB 147 requires voters to provide a recognized form of proof of identity when voting in person, effective January 1, 2026.
- Acceptable forms of proof of identity include a driver's license, state-issued ID, U.S. passport, military ID, tribal ID, concealed carry permit, or student ID from a Nevada higher education institution.
- Identification documents must be current or expired for less than four years, except for holders aged 70 or older, whose cards may be expired for any length of time.
- The Department of Motor Vehicles must issue an identification card at no charge to any registered voter who lacks acceptable identification and attests to financial hardship.
Show all 9 facts
- Mail-in voters must write the last four digits of their driver's license or social security number (or county-issued ID number) on the return envelope.
- Mail-in ballot return envelopes must include an attached flap to cover the voter's signature and identifying numbers.
- Voters who fail to provide proof of identity at a polling place are permitted to cast a provisional ballot, provided they supply the required ID to the county or city clerk by 5 p.m. on the Friday following election day.
- Voting the mail ballot of another person is explicitly classified as a category D felony.
- Falsifying a declaration of candidacy or registering ineligible voters knowingly carries criminal penalties including gross misdemeanors and category E felonies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What documents are accepted as proof of identity to vote in person?
How can a voter obtain an ID if they are experiencing financial hardship and lack identification?
What information must be included when voting by mail?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in Assembly committee.
Procedural history
5 actions- Apr 12, 2025(Pursuant to Joint Standing Rule No. 14.3.1, no further action allowed.)
- Feb 25, 2025Notice of eligibility for exemption.
- Feb 4, 2025IntroducedRead first time. To committee.
- Jan 31, 2025From printer.
- Jan 29, 2025IntroducedPrefiled. Referred to Committee on Legislative Operations and Elections. To printer.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Shift to Mandatory Photo ID
The legislation removes provisions allowing voter registration cards alone as standalone in-person identification at polling places, shifting toward mandatory photo identification.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.leg.state.nv.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz60Current news / social attention level
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