Las Vegas Sands, a prominent casino company with ties to GOP megadonor Miriam Adelson, appears to have provided substantial financial support to get a voter ID ballot question on the Nevada ballot. The Sands contributed $1.5 million to a PAC associated with Gov. Joe Lombardo, who supports voter ID, which then transferred $1.4 million to a group helping gather signatures for the initiative. While the contributions are legal under Nevada law, there are questions about transparency and potential strategies to conceal the source of funding.
The initiative, which has enough signatures to make it on the November ballot, would require Nevadans to show ID when voting. Repair the Vote, the PAC publicly associated with the initiative, received significant funding from sources like Nevada Corporate HQ and Civic Voter Engagement, a Utah-based nonprofit. Political science experts note that funding advertising campaigns for ballot questions can influence voter opinions due to lack of pre-existing views on the issues.
The Sands’ contributions raise questions about the role of big money in influencing ballot initiatives and the potential tactics used to fund campaigns. As the debate around voter ID continues in Nevada, the involvement of corporations and wealthy donors like the Sands highlights the complexities and implications of campaign finance in shaping the state’s political landscape.
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Photo credit thenevadaindependent.com
