2020 Nevada Question 2

2020 Nevada Question 2

November 3, 2020 (2020-11-03)
Marriage Regardless of Gender Amendment
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 821,050 62.43% No 494,186 37.57% Valid votes 1,315,236 100.00% Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00% Total votes 1,315,236 100.00% Registered voters/turnout 1,822,166 72.18%
Results by county Yes   60–70%   50–60% No   60–70%   50–60%
Source: Nevada Secretary of State [1]

A referendum on Question 2 to the Constitution of Nevada was held on November 3, 2020. The amendment reversed the 2002 Nevada Question 2, which had enacted a same-sex marriage ban into law. The majority of the voters backed the measure.

Legislative process

In 2013, the Nevada Legislature began work on legislation to repeal a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and substitute in its place a gender-neutral definition of marriage. ^[2] The Senate approved such legislation on April 22 on a 12–9 vote, ^[3] and the Nevada Assembly passed the resolution on May 23 by a 27–14 vote. ^[4] It would have required approval by the next legislative session in 2015 and by voters in the 2016 election to take effect. ^[5] However, as Republicans took control of the Senate following the 2014 elections, no second vote was held. On February 1, 2017, after the Democratic Party took control of the Senate following the 2016 elections, identical legislation (known as Assembly Joint Resolution 2) was introduced to repeal the now-defunct ban on same-sex marriage. The resolution passed the Assembly on March 9 in a 27–14 vote. The Senate amended it to include a religious exemption, after which it passed the bill on May 1 in a 19–2 vote. ^{[6] [7] [8]} The Assembly approved the Senate's amendment on May 2. ^[9] The resolution returned to the Nevada Legislature in February 2019. ^[10] It was approved by the Assembly on March 29 in a 38–2 vote and by the Senate on May 23, 2019, in a 19–2 vote. ^{[11] [12] [13]} As Question 2, it was placed on the November 6, 2020 ballot, ^[a] and approved with 62% of the vote. ^{[14] [9] [15] [16] [17]}

March 29, 2019 vote in the Assembly ^[18]

Political affiliation	Voted for	Voted against	Absent (Did not vote)
Democratic Party	28 Alexander Assefa Shea Backus Teresa Benitez-Thompson Shannon Bilbray-Axelrod Maggie Carlton Richard Carrillo Lesley Cohen Skip Daly Bea Duran Edgar Flores Jason Frierson Ozzie Fumo Michelle Gorelow Sandra Jauregui Susie Martinez William McCurdy II Brittney Miller Daniele Monroe-Moreno Connie Munk Dina Neal Rochelle Nguyen Sarah Peters Ellen Spiegel Heidi Swank Tyrone Thompson Selena Torres Howard Watts III Steve Yeager	–	–
Republican Party	9 Chris Edwards Gregory Hafen II Melissa Hardy Al Kramer Lisa Krasner Glen Leavitt Tom Roberts Robin Titus Jill Tolles	2 John Ellison Jim Wheeler	2 John Hambrick Alexis Hansen
Total [b]	37	2	2
	90.2%	4.9%	4.9%

May 23, 2019 vote in the Senate ^[19]

Political affiliation	Voted for	Voted against	Absent (Did not vote)
Democratic Party	12 Chris Brooks Yvanna Cancela Nicole Cannizzaro Mo Denis Marilyn Dondero Loop Dallas Harris James Ohrenschall David Parks Julia Ratti Melanie Scheible Pat Spearman Joyce Woodhouse	1 Marcia Washington	–
Republican Party	7 Heidi Gansert Pete Goicoechea Scott Hammond Joe Hardy Ben Kieckhefer Keith Pickard James Settelmeyer	1 Ira Hansen	–
Total	19	2	0
	90.5%	9.5%	0.0%

Results

All counties had fully reported their results by December 17, 2020. The 62.43% "Yes" vote assured the passage of the ballot measure.

Breakdown of voting for Question 2, 2020 by county

County	Yes (%)	Yes votes	No (%)	No votes	Formal total
Carson City	57.96%	16,691	42.04%	12,107	28,798
Churchill	44.35%	5,523	55.65%	6,929	12,452
Clark	64.75%	584,484	35.25%	318,205	902,689
Douglas	52.31%	17,051	47.69%	15,548	32,599
Elko	46.37%	9,842	53.63%	11,381	21,223
Esmeralda	33.97%	159	66.03%	309	468
Eureka	31.56%	303	68.44%	657	960
Humboldt	43.24%	3,258	56.76%	4,277	7,535
Lander	41.53%	1,111	58.47%	1,564	2,675
Lincoln	32.02%	755	67.98%	1,603	2,358
Lyon	47.26%	13,750	52.74%	15,344	29,094
Mineral	47.46%	1,056	52.54%	1,169	2,225
Nye	47.04%	11,448	52.96%	12,888	24,336
Pershing	39.58%	874	60.42%	1,334	2,208
Storey	50.45%	1,410	49.55%	1,385	2,795
Washoe	63.51%	151,545	36.49%	87,068	238,613
White Pine	42.54%	1,790	57.46%	2,418	4,208
Nevada	62.43%	821,050	37.57%	494,186	1,315,236

See also

• 2002 Nevada Question 2
• Same-sex marriage in Nevada
• 2020 United States ballot measures

References

1. "Ballot Questions 2020". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
2. "Nev. senate panel amends, passes gay marriage bill". Reno Gazette-Journal. April 11, 2013.
3. Chereb, Sandra (April 22, 2013). "Gay marriage resolution advances in Nevada". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved April 23, 2013.
4. "Nevada Assembly backs resolution to end ban on gay marriage". Las Vegas Sun. May 23, 2013.
5. Hagar, Ray (April 28, 2013). "Long road ahead for marriage equality in Nevada". Reno Gazette-Journal. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
6. "Nevada Assembly resolution brings gay marriage debate back". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 11, 2017.
7. NV AJR2 | 2017 | 79th Legislature
8. "Nevada senators move gay marriage update closer to ballot". Reno Gazette Journal. May 1, 2017.
9. Legislative history of AJR2
10. "Joint Resolution is second step in effort to redefine marriage in the Nevada State Constitution". Nevada Capital News. March 13, 2019.
11. "Nevada Assembly OKs marriage equality amendment". Northern Nevada Business View. April 1, 2019. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
12. Lyle, Michael. "Ballot question on state constitution's same-sex marriage ban coming in 2020". Nevada Current. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
13. "Nevada AJR2A | 2019 | 80th Legislature". LegiScan. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
14. "Same-sex marriage bill would alter Nevada Constitution language". Las Vegas Review-Journal. February 21, 2017.
15. Silver State Election Results
16. Browning, Bil (November 4, 2020). "Nevada voters turn same-sex marriage ban into legal protections for gay couples". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
17. "Nevada Question 2, Marriage Regardless of Gender Amendment (2020)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
18. "Assembly Roll Call: NV AJR2A 2019". LegiScan. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
19. "Senate Roll Call: NV AJR2A 2019". LegiScan. Retrieved January 31, 2026.

Noes

1. Voters were asked: "Shall the Nevada Constitution be amended to: (1) remove an existing provision that only a marriage between a male person and a female person may be recognized and given effect in Nevada; (2) require that the State of Nevada and its political subdivisions must recognize marriages of and issue marriage licenses to couples regardless of gender, and that all legally valid marriages must be treated equally under the law; and (3) provide that religious organizations and members of the clergy have the right to refuse to perform a marriage, and that no person has the right to make any claim against a religious organization or member of the clergy for refusing to perform a marriage?"
2. The Assembly had 41 seats at the time due to a vacancy. Representative Olivia Diaz resigned and announced her intention to seek election to the Las Vegas City Council in December 2018.