A Nevada lawmaker wants to require stricter identification to vote in the Silver State.

Asm. Greg Hafen, R-Pahrump, has introduced Assembly Bill 88, which would narrow the acceptable forms of ID in-person voters would need to show to cast a ballot. They include a driver's license or identification card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles, or tribal voters, one issued through their federally-recognized tribe. Hafen has said the measure is about fighting election fraud and restoring election integrity.

Emily Persaud-Zamora, executive director of Silver State Voices, said she is confident current state laws already ensure elections are run safely, smoothly and are accessible to everyone.

"I think the bill is being introduced in an attempt to create a narrative on a problem that does not exist," Persaud-Zamora asserted. "Unfortunately, there are people who don't really believe in making voting as accessible as possible."

The bill would also require mail-in ballots to be returned with not only a signature, but the last four digits of a voter's Social Security number, as well as their driver's license or ID card number. Persaud-Zamora argued advocates of the bill likely are not considering the unintended consequences on voters, or election administrators.

Persaud-Zamora's group is convinced the bill would create additional steps, which could be especially challenging for people without a permanent address from unhoused individuals to college students, people just released from prison, and even snowbirds. Some have predicted it is unlikely to move forward with a Democratic majority in the Assembly, but Persaud-Zamora noted she cannot assume anything.

"Our hope is that -- we do believe there are a lot of voting rights champions in the Assembly and in the Senate -- and we hope that a bill like this would not get a vote," Persaud-Zamora stressed.

The bill would require the Department of Motor Vehicles to issue an ID card, free of charge, to a registered voter who does not have one of the acceptable forms of documentation and is experiencing financial hardship.

Legislation now in Congress could further complicate how Arizonans cast their ballots.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act would require a person to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, which is not entirely new to Arizonans. Since 2013, Arizona voters have had to provide documents proving their citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

Sydney Bryant, policy analyst at the Center for American Progress, said it is already illegal for noncitizens to register or cast a ballot in federal elections. The measure would require anyone to present documentation in person like a passport or birth certificate to vote in federal elections. Bryant argued it exacerbates barriers voters already face.

"Many rural voters do not live necessarily near their county election office," Bryant pointed out. "They would have to travel great lengths, for many of them, to provide in-person evidence of their citizenship."

Bryant noted amendments to the bill might still be made but she called the current version "disastrous," affecting not only rural voters but potentially up to 3.5 million Arizonans who do not have passports. Supporters of the bill argued its aim is to increase election integrity, although studies have shown voter fraud is extremely rare.

Another group the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act could affect is married women. Bryant noted nationwide, tens of millions could not present a birth certificate to prove their citizenship if they changed their legal name when they got married. In Arizona alone, it would be the case for more than 1.5 million women.

"Approximately 80% of U.S. women who are married, at some point or another, have taken their spouse's last name and so, it would not match," Bryant emphasized. "Under the current bill, there really isn't a direct path, under the SAVE Act, as to this situation that so many women are in."

As it stands, the legislation does not include a process for people who have changed their name to resolve documentation discrepancies. Bryant added it does not ensure marriage certificates or other name-change documentation can be used as proof. She contended on the national level, the measure would complicate an already well-functioning process.


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In many U.S. cities, President's Day was used to sound the alarm over actions by the Trump administration.

Minnesota protesters braved subzero temperatures Monday to express worry about the loss of democratic norms.

The 50501 Movement is described as a grassroots effort where organizers connect online to schedule peaceful protests in all states.

Monday marked the second nationwide group of rallies since President Donald Trump returned to office.

Woodbury's Rob Gallagher attended the St. Paul event. He said he's convinced democracy is being undermined as Trump's staff aggressively cuts agency budgets and workers in the face of court challenges.

"It affects everybody, the great many," said Gallagher, "and for what? You know, it's incompetently done, it's done without checks and balances on appropriations that have already been made, and without checks on conflicts of interest. And so, it's wrong in every dimension."

Those conflicts of interest involve claims that Trump adviser Elon Musk, leading the purge of spending cuts, is violating ethics rules because his companies hold government contracts.

Other protesters say Congress isn't doing enough to intervene.

Musk and other Trump officials defend their actions, saying these are changes Americans voted for.

The 50501 Movement says it isn't tied to any political party and calls for Trump to be impeached and for Musk to be investigated.

Gallagher said he hopes the feelings they're expressing dovetail into other forms of peaceful protest, in both blue and red states.

"Consumers' purchasing drives the economy," said Gallagher, "and if we could leverage this sort of group activity into a 'no buy day' - or, you know, 'no purchases over a weekend' - or to other kinds of group activity, that would move the needle."

Gallagher, who is retired, said he worked many years in business and was trained to reduce wasteful spending. He's convinced any entity can be made more efficient, but thinks what's happening in Washington, D.C., isn't the way to do it.

Attendance has varied at these protests, depending on the state and weather. Most in the Midwest have seen several hundred people.

Support for this reporting was provided by Carnegie Corporation of New York.




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As the Trump administration ramps up arrests of undocumented immigrants, some in Nevada are choosing to skip work or keep their children home from school.

On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump's attempt to ban birthright citizenship for children of undocumented immigrants. But as real fear plagues communities in Nevada and across the country, the Silver State's nine-member Latino Caucus has said they won't stay complacent.

Assemblywoman and caucus chair Cecilia González, D-Las Vegas, said Trump's attack on immigrant families is personal for her, which is why she's introducing The Family Unity Support Act.

"This bill is seeking to ensure the protections of children's whose parents may be facing deportation proceedings," she said, "so it ensures that their overall mental, scholarly and legal well-being are taken care of by the state."

The bill's final details are still being worked out.

The White House has said the roundups taking place nationwide are targeting immigrants with criminal records, but some with no record have also been detained. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, has said any potential raids on schools would be assessed on a "case-by-case basis," and determined by national-security or public-safety threats.

Assemblywoman Selena Torres-Fossett, D-Las Vegas, who is also part of the Nevada Latino Caucus, said they will look at every policy to ensure Nevada children and their families stay safe, but warned that with immigration being such a hot-button issue, more directives and actions from the White House are likely to follow.

"I think we are going to continue to see the federal government and President Trump inciting fear and hate in our schools and our communities," she said, "and we will continue to fight back in every way that we can."

In response to the federal government's actions pertaining to immigrant communities, the ACLU of Nevada has created an online portal for Nevadans to report civil liberties and civil rights violations of immigrants in the Silver State.