INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM IN NEVADA[1]

ACTION BY THE VOTERS

1908 – 2000

Year of Election	Type of Measure	Topic	Election Result
1908	Referendum	Police Bill	Passed
1918	Initiative – Law	Prohibition	Passed
1922	Initiative – Law	Divorce	Failed
1922	Legislative Substitute for Divorce Initiative	Divorce	Passed
1930	Referendum	Rabies Commission Law	Failed
1934	Referendum	Fish and Game Law	Passed
1934	Initiative – Law	Bounties on Predatory Animals	Passed
1936	Initiative – Law	Old Age Pensions	Failed
1938	Initiative – Law	Bounties on Predatory Animals	Failed
1944	Initiative – Law	Old Age Pensions	Passed
1952	Initiative – Law	Right-to-Work	Passed
1954	Initiative – Law	Repeal Right-to-Work	Failed
1956	Initiative – Law	Repeal Right-to-Work	Failed
1956	Initiative – Constitution	Prohibit Right-to-Work Laws	Failed
1956	Initiative – Law	Public School Finance	Failed[2]
1956	Referendum	Sales and Use Tax Act	Passed
1958	Initiative – Constitution	Initiative Petitions	Passed
1960	Initiative – Constitution	Reinstate biennial, instead of annual, legislative sessions	Passed
1968	Initiative – Constitution	Repeal Lottery Prohibition	Failed
1978	Initiative – Constitution	Limit Property Taxes	Passed (First vote of people)
1980	Initiative – Constitution	Limit Property Taxes	Failed[3] (Second vote of people)
1980	Initiative – Constitution	Exempt Household Goods from Taxation	Passed (First vote of people)
1980	Initiative – Constitution	Exempt Food (Restaurant Meals) from Taxation	Passed (First vote of people)
1982	Initiative – Constitution	Exempt Household Goods from Taxation	Passed (Second vote of people)
1982	Initiative – Constitution	Exempt Food (Restaurant Meals) from Taxation	Failed (Second vote of people)
1982	Initiative – Law	Consumer’s Advocate Public Utilities	Failed
1982	Legislative Substitute for Consumer’s Advocate Initiative	Consumer’s Advocate Public Utilities	Passed
1984	Initiative – Constitution	Limitation on Taxes and Fees of State and Local Governments	Failed (First vote of people)
1988	Initiative – Constitution	Prohibit State Personal Income Tax	Passed (First vote of people)
1990	Initiative – Constitution	Prohibit State Personal Income Tax	Passed (Second vote of people)
1990	Referendum	Abortion Law	Passed
1994	Initiative – Constitution	Term Limits for Members of Congress	Passed[4] (First vote of people)
1994	Initiative – Constitution	Term Limits for Certain State and Local Officers in Executive, Judicial, and Legislative Branches	Passed (First vote of people)
1994	Initiative – Constitution	Establishes, Limits, and Defines Campaign Contributions	Passed (First vote of people)
1994	Initiative – Constitution	Requires two-thirds vote in both houses of Legislature to approve a measure that generates or increases taxes or fees	Passed (First vote of people)
1996	Initiative – Constitution	Term Limits for Certain State and Local Officers in Executive and Legislative Branches	Passed[5] (Second vote of people)
1996	Initiative – Constitution	Term Limits for Nevada Justices and Judges	Failed^5 (Second vote of people)
1996	Initiative – Constitution	Establishes, Limits, and Defines Campaign Contributions	Passed (Second vote of people)
1996	Initiative – Constitution	Requires two-thirds vote in both houses of Legislature to approve a measure that generates or increases taxes or fees	Passed (Second vote of people)
1996	Initiative – Constitution	Instructs Nevada’s Congressional Delegation and Members of the Legislature to provide term limits for the Members of Congress	Passed (First vote of people)
1998	Initiative – Constitution	Instructs Nevada’s Congressional Delegation and Members of the Legislature to provide term limits for the Members of Congress	Passed (Second vote of people)
1998	Initiative – Constitution	Authorizes possession and use of marijuana for certain medical purposes	Passed (First vote of people)
2000	Initiative – Constitution	Authorizes possession and use of marijuana for certain medical purposes	Passed (Second vote of people)
2000	Initiative – Constitution	Recognizes marriages only between persons of the opposite sex	Passed (First vote of people)

---

[1] Referendum to approve or disapprove an existing law added to Constitution in 1904. Initiative petition to amend the Constitution or enact a new law added to Constitution in 1912.

[2] In 1955, the Legislature considered an initiative concerning the question of public school finance. Although the Legislature did not adopt the initiative petition, salient provisions of the measure were included in a new school code enacted in the special session of 1956. However, the initiative petition had to be included on the 1956 General Election Ballot, even though the issue was moot, because the Constitution does not contain any provisions to remove it from the ballot.

[3] This measure appeared on the ballot a second time because, after 1962, affirmative votes of the people at two successive General Elections are required to amend the Constitution through the initiative process.

[4] Removed from 1996 Ballot following the United States Supreme Court decision, U.S. Term Limits vs. Thornton, and Nevada Attorney General Opinion No. 95-17.

[5] Question No. 9 from the 1994 Ballot was split into two separate parts on the 1996 Ballot.

Prepared by: Research Division, Legislative Counsel Bureau, November 8, 2000

i:\Facts