Since 1864, Nevada voters decided on 353 state ballot measures. Of those, 215 (60.9%) were approved, and 138 (39.1%) were defeated.

In Nevada, measures are placed on the ballot by the Nevada State Legislature or through a successful citizen initiative. The Legislature voted to refer 277 measures to the state ballot, while 74 citizen initiatives qualified for the ballot. Citizen-initiated measures were approved more often than legislatively-referred measures. Of the legislative referrals, 164 (59.2%) were approved by voters, while 113 were rejected. Of the citizen initiatives, 50 (67.6%) were approved by voters, and 24 were rejected.

Additionally, two state constitution ratification questions were referred to voters following state constitutional conventions—one held in 1863 and another in 1864. In January 1864, voters rejected the proposed 1863 constitution, and in September 1864, voters approved the constitution proposed at the 1864 convention.

There are 11 different types of ballot measures in Nevada. Legislatively referred constitutional amendments appeared on the ballot the most times (229). Veto referendums had the highest approval rating, with five out of six (83.3%) approved by voters. Constitutional convention questions had the lowest success rate, with two of three measures defeated.

Nevada ballot measures addressed 122 unique topics. The most common topic was state legislative authority, with 56 measures addressing it. Other common topics included sales taxes (36 measures), state legislative processes and sessions (24 measures), and property taxes (17 measures).

Below is a selection of notable and unique ballot measures in Nevada’s history. For a more detailed list, see here.

• In 1912, voters approved a constitutional amendment to establish an initiative and referendum process.

• In 1914, voters approved a constitutional amendment to provide women with the right to vote—six years before the 19th Amendment was ratified.

• Voters decided on right-to-work laws three times in Nevada. In 1952, voters approved Question 1, which prohibited denying employment based on nonmembership in a labor union. In 1954, voters rejected a ballot initiative to repeal the right-to-work law. Voters again rejected an initiative to repeal the right-to-work law in 1956.

• In 1988 and 1990, voters approved a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to prohibit a state tax on personal income.

• Voters decided on five marijuana-related ballot measures in Nevada. In 1998 and 2000, voters approved a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment legalizing medical marijuana. In 2002 and 2006, voters rejected ballot initiatives to decriminalize or legalize marijuana. In 2016, voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing recreational marijuana in the state.

• In 2020, voters approved Question 2, making Nevada the first state to repeal a constitutional same-sex marriage ban. Earlier, in 2000 and 2002, voters approved a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Of the 353 measures in Nevada, five were decided by less than a percentage point of the vote.

The measure with the closest margin was State Question 2 in 1930, which would have created a state rabies commission to control rabies and predatory animals. The measure was defeated, with 49.96% of voters approving the amendment, and 50.04% of voters rejecting it, resulting in a margin of -0.08%.

The measure with the widest margin was State Question 4 in 1880, which was an advisory question asking voters if they supported continuing to permit Chinese immigration. The measure was defeated, with 1.05% voting to support continued immigration, and 98.95% opposing it, with a margin of -97.90%.

The decade with the most ballot measures was the 1980s, with 54 measures. In the 80s, 26 measures (48.1%) were approved, and 28 (51.9%) were defeated. The 1900s, 1910s, and 1940s all had a 100% approval rating, with all ballot measures approved. The 1870s and 1890s had a 0% approval rating, with all ballot measures defeated. In the 2020s, there have been 15 ballot measures—12 (80%) were approved, and three (20%) were defeated.

The inventory of Nevada statewide ballot measures is part of Ballotpedia's Historical Ballot Measure Factbooks, which document nearly 200 years of direct democracy in the United States. This ongoing research effort will provide an unparalleled resource for researchers, reporters, and voters on how ballot measures have evolved, the issues they've covered, and the role they have played in our civic life.