Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford is drawing a hard line on who runs the Silver State’s elections, warning that any federal bid to take over the process would amount to stripping Nevadans of their constitutional right to vote. Ford called the move illegal and said his office is already fighting it in court. “Nevada's elections will be run by the state of Nevada,” he said in a statement on Wednesday.
The warning was not subtle. In a post on X, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office published the full text of Ford’s statement along with a transcript dated Wednesday. The message was a direct response to President Trump’s recent call to “nationalize” voting, comments that quickly drew scrutiny from legal experts and state officials, as reported by The Washington Post. In the X post, Ford wrote that his office “is in court defeating” the president’s election executive order and urged Nevadans to stand up for state control of their ballots.
Legal fight already underway
Ford is part of a multistate coalition challenging the Elections Executive Order, arguing that it would improperly commandeer state election officials and violate the Constitution. According to a state press release describing the filing, the effort is led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta with Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joining the challenge. The lawsuit asks a federal court to block provisions the states say would impose documentary proof-of-citizenship requirements and strict mail-ballot deadlines.
Connecticut’s Attorney General and other state officials have highlighted the complaint, and federal judges have already paused parts of the order while raising constitutional questions, according to NPR. For now, that means the most controversial pieces of the federal plan are on hold while the courts sort out who has the final say.
What this means for Nevada voters
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, the state’s top elections official, has publicly defended Nevada’s mail-ballot system and stressed that significant changes must come through state law rather than a unilateral order from the White House, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Ford’s latest statement signals he is prepared to keep using the courts to protect that authority, a posture that will shape how county election offices and state leaders prepare for the 2026 midterms.
For now, Nevada’s elections remain in the hands of state and local officials while the legal fight over the federal order plays out, and Ford is making it clear he intends to keep it that way.
.jpg){kind=link}