Episodes
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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 November ballot. Denise Lopez, director of Nevada campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All, joins to explain the abortion landscape in the Silver State, why she feels a Constitutional amendment is necessary and answer a number of criticisms about the initiative petition.
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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 since 2011, and Dr. Fred Simon sit down for extended interviews about why they're running, the national debt, foreign aid and whether they would continue to support former Pres. Trump if he's convicted before the election. Plus, an update on the controversial USPS plan to reroute northern Nevada mail through Sacramento after a Congressional oversight hearing with postmaster general Louis DeJoy this week and a viral moment from Sen. Jacky Rosen.
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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 inside the courtroom and interviews Alexander Marks, director of strategy for the Nevada State Education Association, about their 'Schools Over Stadiums' push, the effort to get the referendum on the November ballot and their unlikely alliance with Oakland A's fans.
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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 Girnus joins to preview some of the critical statehouse elections that will determine if Democrats are able to gain veto-proof supermajorities in Carson City or if Republicans can wrest back some power.
For more on Corbin Girnus' analysis of the statehouse elections, read her two recent pieces in the Nevada Current:
Can Lombardo break the Democrats’ Assembly supermajority? Here’s a look at the terrain.
Only 1 vote shy of a Nevada Senate supermajority, Democrats look to flip a seat (or more) -
Question 3, which will be on the November ballot in Nevada, would make drastic changes to our electoral system, implementing two proposed reforms — open primaries and ranked-choice voting. If it were to pass again (after already passing in 2022), it would put those changes in the Nevada Constitution. Supporters say it would upend the two-party system as we know it but opponents worry it could lead to even more confusion. Before we explore the arguments for and against, we brought in the Guinn Center, Nevada's nonpartisan policy research center. The think tank just released a report explaining Question 3 and asking where Nevadans stand on the issues. Research director Mike Stewart and assistant director Kristine Caliger join the show to explain what Question 3 would do and what their research revealed.
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The race for the White House heats up in the battleground states, with President Joe Biden making his first visit to Nevada this election cycle. Host Ben Margiott was in the presidential motorcade and takes listeners behind the scenes as Biden stopped by a Democratic campaign office to rally volunteers. Plus, Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar joins to explain a coding error that caused the website to incorrectly show people as having voted by mail in the presidential preference primary. Aguilar also details why he feels the USPS proposal to send Reno-area mail through a Sacramento distribution facility is problematic for mail ballots.
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Will abortion be on the Nevada ballot in November? One initiative seeking to enshrine reproductive freedoms is currently in the hands of the Nevada Supreme Court and advocates are already gathering signatures for another measure dealing with abortion alone. On this episode of Ballot Battleground: Nevada, host Ben Margiott takes us inside last week's oral arguments at the state supreme court, explains the abortion landscape in Nevada and interviews Jason Guinasso, the attorney representing the Coalition for Parents and Children, which is challenging one of the proposed measures. (Note: Lindsey Harmon, the president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, was not available to do an interview in time for this episode, but her perspective is included through soundbites from an interview after last week's court hearing.)
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We Matter - that’s the slogan made famous by this week’s guest - Jon Ralston, the CEO and editor of The Nevada Independent. As we heard on last week's episode of Ballot Battleground: Nevada, the Silver State will of course matter in the general election, but we mattered quite a bit less during this Presidential nominating cycle. We brought Jon in to talk about 2024, the early Biden/Trump polls, the U.S. Senate race heating up and the first year of Governor Joe Lombardo’s administration.
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In the 2024 Presidential election, Nevada isn't just a battleground, it's a toss-up. A coin flip. Don't take our word for it - that's the official race rating from the Cook Political Report, one of the most well-respected election forecasters in the United States. Senate and governor editor Jessica Taylor comes on the podcast to talk about why CPR changed Nevada from 'lean Democrat' to 'toss-up,' and our U.S. Senate race that could once again decide control of the chamber.
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Who should draw Nevada's political maps? Today, it's whichever party is in control in Carson City. In the last cycle, Democrats had a trifecta and passed their maps without any Republican support - those maps were given an "F" from the nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project for giving Democrats a clear political advantage. But now one group is pushing to take the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians and put it into the hands of an independent board. Last week, a judge shot down the proposed ballot questions, but that decision is being appealed to the Nevada Supreme Court. In this episode of Ballot Battleground: Nevada, we talk to the woman running the Fair Maps Nevada PAC behind the ballot questions and the man behind the legal challenge about the ongoing push to change this process and the pushback.
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The busiest week in Nevada elections in a long time is in the rearview mirror. In the end, Donald Trump and Joe Biden won all of Nevada's delegates from the caucus and primary, respectively. Host Ben Margiott interviews reporter Audrey Mayer about her experience covering the caucus at a Reno-area elementary school. Plus, an extended interview with interim Washoe County registrar of voters Cari-Ann Burgess about why she came back to elections after experiencing burnout in a previous role, lessons learned running an ice cream shop in between jobs and how the primary went for a largely new elections staff in Washoe County.
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Nevada's first presidential preference primary in decades went smoothly, with low voter turnout making for no lines at most polling places. As expected, President Joe Biden won the Democratic primary handily. But in a surprising turn of events, former ambassador Nikki Haley lost to 'None of these candidates' in the Republican contest. We speak with reporters Kim Burrows and Audrey Mayer about their experience covering the election on the ground, plus a conversation with Jon Ralston, the CEO of the Nevada Independent, about how that 'none of these candidates' option came to be and how voters have used it in the past.
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Nevada's Presidential nominating process is more confusing than ever in 2024 with two different elections being held in a span of just three days. Despite the state shifting to a Presidential preference primary, the Nevada GOP has still opted to hold a caucus on February 8th. Truckee Meadows political science professor Fred Lokken comes on the show to explain in detail how and why we got here and how you can participate. We also talked about Nevada's diminished national attention this cycle because of the split process.
Presidential preference primary voter guide: https://mynews4.com/news/local/confused-by-nevadas-first-presidential-primary-in-decades-heres-your-voter-guide# -
Ballot Battleground: Nevada is a show where we take deep dives into the issues, people, policies and debates shaping politics in our critical swing state. Many voters find themselves confused or overwhelmed when they walk into the voting booth. Our goal is to explain the issues that matter most to everyday Nevadans so they're fully informed before casting their ballot.