Originally Authored at TheFederalist.com
Left-wing dark money is being dumped into Nevada to enshrine abortion and ranked-choice voting into the state’s constitution, according to a new report.
The revelation was disclosed in third-quarter campaign finance data reported by The Nevada Independent on Friday. The analysis shows large swaths of cash being poured into organizations seeking to sway voters into passing these proposals appearing on the Silver State ballot this November.
As my colleague Jordan Boyd previously reported, “Abortion in Nevada is currently permitted at any point in gestation as long as ‘the physician has reasonable cause to believe an abortion is necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person.’” The proposal known as Question 6, however, seeks to enshrine unlimited unborn baby-killing in the state constitution by creating a “fundamental right to an abortion.”
Campaign finance data reported by The Nevada Independent shows Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom — the political action committee behind the extreme initiative — raised roughly $6.6 million last quarter in support of the measure’s passage. The outlet disclosed how some of the group’s biggest donations came from prominent left-wing dark money organizations such as Advocacy Action Fund ($2 million) and the Tides Foundation ($312,500).
According to the nonprofit research database GuideStar, Advocacy Action Fund “focuses on grantmaking” for so-called “social welfare” initiatives, especially those with an “environmental” or pro-abortion purpose. The Tides Foundation similarly acts as a prominent donor that doles out grants to left-wing nonprofits and causes.
The data showed Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom also received $1 million from the Open Society Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) tied to the Soros family.
According to The Nevada Independent, “no PACs have raised money to oppose the abortion ballot question” this cycle.
Even more money is being spent by left-wing groups to approve Question 3, a ballot initiative that would enshrine a top-five ranked-choice voting (RCV) system into the Nevada Constitution.
Often referred to as “rigged-choice voting” by its critics, RCV is an election system in which voters rank candidates of all parties in order of preference. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the first round of voting, the last-place finisher is eliminated, and his votes are reallocated to the voter’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate receives a majority of votes.
According to Nevada finance records, the group seeking to pass Question 3 (Yes on 3) hauled in $13.9 million last quarter. The funds came from Unite America and Article IV, both of which have previously expended monies to support pro-RCV causes. For example, the groups dumped cash into Alaska this cycle to defeat a ballot measure that would repeal the state’s top-four RCV system.
While Democrats often push RCV as a way of winning traditionally Republican seats, The Nevada Independent noted how left-wing money is also being deployed to oppose Question 3’s passage. According to the outlet, Protect Your Vote NV — the main group opposing the initiative — raised $2 million from Nevada Alliance, “a left-leaning group that does not have to disclose its donors … but has donated millions to Democratic initiatives in Nevada.”
Nevada’s Republican and Democrat Parties, as well as a host of prominent state Democrat officials, have voiced opposition to Question 3.
In Nevada, constitutional amendment proposals produced by citizen-led signature collection campaigns require approval from voters in two consecutive general elections to amend the state’s founding document.
The RCV proposal previously passed in 2022 and would alter Nevada’s elections if passed by voters this fall. This is the first year the pro-abortion initiative will appear on the ballot, meaning that if it is approved this November, it would have to receive majority support from voters again in the state’s 2026 elections.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood