Nevada Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoed a bill Thursday that would have made the western swing state the first in the country to make it a crime to sign certificates falsely stating that a losing candidate has won a certain state.
The bill seeking to crack down on so-called fake electors would have established penalties of between four and 10 years in prison. Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford endorsed the legislation, while some public defenders opposed it, calling it too harsh.
The measure's fate was uncertain before Thursday, as Lombardo had not previously said whether he would sign it.
Lombardo said in his veto message that there should be "strict punishments" for people undermining confidence in elections, including those who present false slates of electors. But he added that the level of punishment in the bill was harsher than penalties that have been given to some domestic violence offenders and some of the most "extreme and violent actors on January 6."
The bill "does nothing to ensure the security of our elections and merely provides disproportionately harsh penalties for an, admittedly, terrible crime," he added.
The bill seeking to crack down on so-called fake electors would have established penalties of between four and 10 years in prison. Democratic state Attorney General Aaron Ford endorsed the legislation, while some public defenders opposed it, calling it too harsh.
The measure's fate was uncertain before Thursday, as Lombardo had not previously said whether he would sign it.
Lombardo said in his veto message that there should be "strict punishments" for people undermining confidence in elections, including those who present false slates of electors. But he added that the level of punishment in the bill was harsher than penalties that have been given to some domestic violence offenders and some of the most "extreme and violent actors on January 6."
The bill "does nothing to ensure the security of our elections and merely provides disproportionately harsh penalties for an, admittedly, terrible crime," he added.
