Ballot Battleground: Nevada

It's a special episode this week as we can finally announce the first Ballot Battleground: Nevada debate! Our debate on Question 3, which would bring open primaries and ranked choice voting to the Silver State, will be airing on News 4 and Fox 11 on October 15th at 4:30 p.m. The debate will be an in-depth conversation about the possible benefits and pitfalls of this critical ballot measure featuri...

A Republican and a Democrat — both well-respected in Nevada politics — are joining together to help rebuild faith in our elections through the Democracy Defense Project. This week, host Ben Margiott interviews the Nevada co-chairs, former Governor Brian Sandoval (R) and former Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins (D). Sandoval and Perkins explain what they hope to accomplish and why it's so difficult...

It's a special first for Ballot Battleground: Nevada this week - U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D) stops by the studio for an extended sit-down interview. Host Ben Margiott interviews the Silver State's senior senator on her work in the Senate, swapping out Biden for Harris, the no taxes on tips proposal, ranked-choice voting, the Washoe County lands bill and much more. Plus, at the end of t...

After the infamous Trump-Biden debate, it seemed Nevada might be out of reach for Democrats. But it's now back in play after the party switched out their struggling nominee for Kamala Harris. Jessica Taylor with the Cook Political Report, one of the nation's best election forecasters, joins to give her expert analysis on the state of play here in the Silver State. Plus, we launch a new fact-checki...

Should diapers be exempted from Nevada's state sales tax like so many other essential items? Voters will get the chance to decide on Question 5 in November. There likely won't be much money spent on ads or opposition to this measure, but it's still worth explaining the benefits and possible drawbacks - including a loss of revenue for the state. This week, Baby's Bounty CEO and executive director K...

Independent presidential candidate RFK Jr. will be on Nevada's ballot in November after officially filing with the state this month. He's a longshot to win the White House, polling at around 5% currently. But is that enough to spoil the election for Harris or Trump? Or is the worry about a spoiler overblown? UNLV political science professor Dan Lee joins the podcast this week to talk about how thi...

Clean up the voter rolls. The plea has become more common amid the baseless claims of widespread voter fraud - but nearly everyone agrees it's a good thing to keep the massive list of all registered Nevada voters as up to date as possible. Still, there are federal and state laws that make it difficult by design to remove someone from the rolls. With the primary well behind us now, voter roll list...

It's less than 100 days until the 2024 presidential election and the campaigns are ramping up in the Silver State. On this episode, host Ben Margiott takes you to Trump VP pick JD Vance's campaign rally in Reno, where he focused on immigration and hammered Kamala Harris for the Biden administration's border policies. Then, special guest Christ Murphy joins again to dig through the Ballot Battlegro...

Less than 4 months until Election Day, a sitting U.S. President who ran for re-election has stepped aside. Joe Biden's announcement over the weekend that he would no longer run for president upended the 2024 race. What does it mean for Nevada? What do our 49 Democratic delegates do now? What is the precedent for such a race-altering event this late in the campaign? On this emergency episode of Bal...

Is requiring voter ID a critical safeguard that will improve voter confidence? Or an unnecessary burden that could depress turnout? Nevada voters could decide this November on a ballot measure requiring photo identification to cast a ballot. How would it work? What about people that don't have ID? Is this a solution in search of a problem? Host Ben Margiott interviews advocates on both sides of th...

Should Nevada automatically recount results in close races? Or continue to make the candidates pay regardless of the margin? What about 'frivolous' recounts requested in races where the outcome will almost certainly never change? The debate over recount policy in the Silver State has reignited after multiple recounts in Washoe County after the primary. This week, host Ben Margiott interviews Deb O...

Drag Queen Devon. Beth "Death" Smith. Veto Villain. The list of nasty and personal attacks, many of them launched by right-wing activist Robert Beadles, goes on and on. What does it do to the people who are targeted? Why are some taking this tactic, even though it's been largely unsuccessful? Where should we draw the line? In this two-part series, host Ben Margiott interviews candidates, activists...

Drag Queen Devon. Beth "Death" Smith. Veto Villain. The list of nasty and personal attacks, many of them launched by right-wing activist Robert Beadles, goes on and on. What does it do to the people who are targeted? Why are some taking this tactic, even though it's been largely unsuccessful? Where should we draw the line? In this two-part series, host Ben Margiott interviews candidates, activists...

The dust has settled from the Nevada primary and the general election matchups are coming into focus. What did we learn from the messy GOP primary? What can we glean from the results of down ballot races? And what about that low turnout? Host Ben Margiott holds a reporter roundtable with the Associated Press' Gabe Stern and The Nevada Independent's Tabitha Mueller. What are the top takeaways from...

The voters have spoken in the Nevada primaries and the matchup that could decide control of the U.S. Senate is set. It's officially Republican Sam Brown vs. Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen in November. This week, we have a jam-packed Election Day recap - host Ben Margiott takes you out to the polls, to the registrar's office and to the big watch party in downtown Reno. Plus, why did a question we...

The 2024 primary election is in full swing with hundreds of polling places open across the Silver State for early voting. Most people though are taking advantage of the convenient mail ballot and sending it in that way. Host Ben Margiott visits one polling place in Reno and has an update on turnout so far. Plus, Washoe County registrar of voters Cari-Ann Burgess on the smooth in-person voting and...

It is week 1 of early voting in Nevada's primary election as hundreds of thousands of voters get ready to whittle down the massive list of candidates for the November general election. We break down turnout so far and explain how most Nevadans are still choosing to vote by mail. Plus, host Ben Margiott has an extended conversation with UNR political science Jeremy Gelman about the GOP primary for...

It's a crowded field of Republican candidates in the race for U.S. Senate in Nevada - 12 candidates filed for the chance to take on incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen in November. If you listened to episode 15, you heard from 3 of the top 4 frontrunners - the one exception being Sam Brown, who canceled his interview and never rescheduled. On this bonus episode, host Ben Margiott interviews the remaini...

Primary Election Day is less than 3 weeks away in Nevada. Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar joins the show to talk when and how to vote, how to register to vote or change your party affiliation and everything else you need to know before casting your ballot. Plus, a deep-dive on how the Secretary of State's office receives and investigates complaints of voter fraud. Spoiler alert: the number of com...

It's a crowded field of Republican candidates in the race for U.S. Senate in Nevada - 12 candidates filed for the chance to take on incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen in November. This week, we start our Know Your Candidates 2024 series by introducing you to the 3 GOP candidates that, according to a recent internal poll, have the best shot at upsetting Sam Brown, the wounded warrior widely considered...

It's mail time at Ballot Battleground: Nevada. We put out a call for listener questions recently and received plenty. News 4-Fox 11 morning show anchor and political expert Chris Murphy joins this week to go through the mailbag with host Ben Margiott. They answered questions about a nonpartisan running in Congressional District 2, Yucca Mountain, abortion on the ballot, whether campaign signs work...

After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, there's been a state-by-state patchwork of differing abortion laws across the country. In Nevada, abortion is protected up to 24 weeks in state law after a 1990 referendum. But advocates want to make that protection even stronger by adding abortion rights to the Nevada Constitution. It appears their ballot question to enshrine that right is headed for the Nove...

Primary season is underway - if you haven't noticed all the campaign signs and ads in every commercial break. This week, host Ben Margiott previews the GOP primary for Nevada's 2nd Congressional district, which covers most of northern Nevada. With no Democrat running in this deep red district, the winner of the seat will likely be determined in the June primary. Rep. Mark Amodei, the incumbent sin...

Should public money be used to help build the Oakland A's baseball team a new stadium in Las Vegas? The state's largest teachers union wants to ask voters that question in November. But like so many other proposed initiatives, it's been challenged and appealed up to the Nevada Supreme Court. This week, justices heard oral arguments about the proposed referendum. Host Ben Margiott takes listeners i...

After Pres. Biden's visit to Reno last month, two top Biden cabinet members are in northern Nevada this week. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su stopped by the studio for a sit-down interview with host Ben Margiott about ongoing FAFSA issues, unemployment, the Baltimore bridge collapse and more. Plus, Nevada Current deputy editor April Corbin Gir...