Additionally, Democrats enacted a law that will restore voting rights to everyone who is no longer incarcerated for a felony conviction, meaning citizens will now be able to vote if they are on parole, probation, or post-sentence. (Previously, Nevada permanently disenfranchised some but not all people with felony convictions.)

They also passed another law to end "prison gerrymandering," a practice in many states that, for redistricting purposes, counts prisoners where they’re incarcerated, even though they can’t vote there and usually have no ties to the often-rural areas where most prisons are located. Instead, prisoners will now be counted at their last address, which could shift representation from rural white communities to urban communities of color, particularly at the local level.

Legislators also voted by a near-unanimous margin to put a constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot to expand protections for the right to vote. While nearly every state constitution guarantees the right to vote in some form, these provisions are often not laid out in modern language that is unambiguous and meticulous in detailing its safeguards. This amendment will clarify this guarantee to protect voters against modern threats to voting rights.

Lawmakers passed another bipartisan measure unanimously to establish a permanent polling place on each Native American reservation in the state unless a reservation specifically asks to change it. Many people living on remote reservations lack reliable transportation options, so establishing local polling places should improve voting access.

Meanwhile, another law reforms the recall process to make it less vulnerable to partisan abuse. The most notorious such incident came about in 2017, when Republicans tried to recall several Democratic state senators in 2017 solely because they believed it would be easier to win back control of the chamber in low-turnout special elections. (That scheme ultimately failed after a costly legal challenge when Republicans failed to submit enough valid signatures.) This legislation aims to prevent future deceptive recall campaigns while still leaving the option open for legislators who break the law or abuse their office.

However, the 2019 legislative session wasn't a total victory for advocates of pro-democracy reforms. Sisolak became the first Democratic governor to veto a bill to join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. That bill would have added Nevada's six Electoral College votes to the compact and awarded those votes to the national popular vote winner if enough states with a majority of electoral votes also join. Even though four other Democratic-run states joined this year, Sisolak's veto prevented the compact from breaking the 200-electoral vote milestone, leaving it just shy at 196. (The compact does have a difficult-but-plausible path to enactment in time for the 2024 elections.)

Other measures to expand turnout failed to clear the legislature ahead of a key deadline, including a bill that would have required a general election for local office even if a candidate takes a majority in the primary. While that measure would have ensured local elections take place in what is typically the highest-turnout environment—November in even years—the law moving elections to even-numbered years will nevertheless likely boost primary turnout significantly.

And likely in part because that bill to require general elections for local contests failed to pass, another proposal didn’t survive that would have granted 17-year-olds the right to vote in primaries if they turn 18 by the general election. (Without the first bill, the second bill would have allowed some 17-year-olds to vote in contests that determined the winner outright.) However, all of the measures that did become law should nevertheless make voting much easier in Nevada.

All in all, this litany of new laws shows what Democrats can accomplish in the name of voting rights when given the chance—and vividly illustrates the importance of electing more Democrats to state office.

Correction: This post has been updated to remove reference to a law that would guarantee the right to vote if voters are still waiting in line when polls close. This protection already exists under state law; the provision in question simply clarified that it also applies to those who vote early, those who cast ballots at county-wide “vote centers” rather than their traditional polling places, and those still needing to register. Additionally, it removed a provision enabling voters to turn in their absentee ballots at any early voting location in their county; that provision was stripped from the relevant bill in committee.