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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 the episode, it's another edition of our new segment fact-checking political commercials. This week, a closer examination of two ads related to housing in Nevada's hotly contested U.S. Senate race.
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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-checking segment where we explain and provide context on campaign commercials, starting with a look at Sam Brown and Jacky Rosen's ads on abortion.
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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 Kelly Maxwell joins Ballot Battleground: Nevada to make the case for a sales tax exemption for child and adult diapers.
Previous episodes on Nevada's abortion amendment, which will be Question 6 on the November ballot:
Advocates push for permanent abortion protections in Nevada
Will abortion be on the ballot in November?
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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 third party and independent candidates have fared in Nevada history - and whether this cycle will be any different.
(Note: This episode was recorded on Monday, before a judge ruled the Green Party can be on the 2024 ballot)
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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 maintenance is well underway. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar joins to explain why it's such a critical part of our electoral system and how Nevadans can help clean the voter rolls ahead of the general election. Plus, details on Aguilar's recent experience at the Taylor Swift concert in Munich, Germany.
Some Nevada voters now inactive after voter roll cleanup - here's what that means
Nevada sends postcards to 8% of voters to verify status before presidential election
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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 Battleground: Nevada mailbag. Ben and Chris talked about Project 2025, RFK Jr., voter ID, ballot questions, the way-too-early race for Reno mayor, the best sandwich in the Biggest Little City and much more.
What's Project 2025? Unpacking the Pro-Trump Plan to Overhaul US Government
Nevada Sen. Jacky Rosen introduces bill to allow sale of federal lands in Washoe County
Nevada's top prosecutor seeks to uphold charges against fake electors
Voter ID - a critical safeguard or unnecessary burden? Nevada voters could decide
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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 Ballot Battleground: Nevada, host Ben Margiott interviews Jon Ralston, CEO of The Nevada Independent and UNR political science professor Jeremy Gelman to get their insight on Biden dropping out and Kamala Harris' viability as a candidate.
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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 the issue - Dave Gibbs with the Repair the Vote PAC and Kerry Durmick with All Voting is Local Nevada.
Voter ID: Critical safeguard or unnecessary burden? Nevada voters could decide
Vote Ballot Battleground: Nevada for best local podcast
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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 Otis with FairVote, a nonpartisan policy group advocating for various electoral reforms. Ben and Deb chat about the history of recounts in statewide elections since 2000, how often they change outcomes and balancing the need for recounts in tight races against the burden they put on election administrators.
An analysis of statewide election recounts, 2000-2023 - FairVote
Vote Ballot Battleground: Nevada for best local podcast
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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 and experts about the increasingly nasty political rhetoric and what can be done about it.
In episode 2, Andre Wade with Silver State Equality on the toll such attacks take on marginalized communities. Plus, we continue our conversation with Dr. Amy Pason about the Dignity Index, why it matters and how she would rank some attacks we've mentioned on that objective scale.
The Dignity Index
Vote Ballot Battleground: Nevada for best local podcast
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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 and experts about the increasingly nasty political rhetoric and what can be done about it.
In episode 1, Beth Smith opens up about threats to her family's safety after ads attacked her for her cancer diagnosis. Plus, part 1 of our conversation with UNR's Dr. Amy Pason about the history and effectiveness of this kind of messaging.
Vote Ballot Battleground: Nevada for best local podcast
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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 June election? The group chats about Jeff Gunter refusing to endorse Sam Brown, Robert Beadles' rough night, Gov. Lombardo's influence, Election Day traditions and more.
Gunter refuses to back Brown after GOP primary, predicts Rosen win in Nevada
Washoe commissioner Andriola wins over far-right challenger in key Nevada county race
Vote Ballot Battleground: Nevada for best local podcast
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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 asked spark outrage on the right and prompt one candidate to label me a 'sham journalist'? And finally, an Election Night wrap-up with analysis and perspective from News 4 reporters Kim Burrows and Audrey Mayer.
Decision 2024: Real-time Nevada election results for June primary
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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 how her office addressed a series of ballot errors. And Jennifer Willett with All Voting is Local joins to talk about her group's efforts to expand voting access including into jails.
Know Your Candidates 2024
Everything you need to know about early voting in Washoe County
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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 U.S. Senate, other races he's watching closely and Nevada's changing electorate. How have Nevada’s demographics shifted in recent years? Does that mirror national trends? And what does that mean for November?
Know Your Candidates 2024 page
FiveThirtyEight Swing-O-Matic interactive
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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 remaining candidates that were willing to interview with us: Bill Conrad, E.T. Hamilton, Garn Mabey, Ronda Kennedy, Stephanie Phillips and Vincent Rego.
Skip to the following times to hear from a specific candidate:
Bill Conrad 1:32
E.T. Hamilton 8:50
Garn Mabey 17:40
Ronda Kennedy 24:25
Stephanie Phillips 32:45
Vincent Rego 44:30
Note: Barry Lindemann did not show up for his interview time and Gary Marinch never replied to multiple emails seeking an interview.
Know Your Candidates 2024 page
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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 complaints represents a tiny fraction of the over 1 million votes cast in 2022 - and many are resolved with no criminal action.
Read the full report here: 2024 Election Investigations Report Q1
Know Your Candidates 2024 page
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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 to be the frontrunner.
(Brown initially signed up for an interview slot but canceled, citing a scheduling conflict. His team did not respond when we offered three other time slots on a different day.)
Host Ben Margiott interviews Jim Marchant, Tony Grady and Jeff Gunter about Yucca Mountain, abortion, the Trump hush money trial and more. In fairness to all candidates, we asked a series of similar questions. Stay tuned for extended interviews with several other candidates in the Republican primary in the coming weeks.
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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 and much more.
Submit your questions for future mailbag episodes by emailing [email protected] or by tagging Ben on social media.
LA Times story on Yucca Mountain: Nuclear waste storage at Yucca Mountain could roil Nevada U.S. Senate race
Search Engine podcast on campaign signs: Do political yard signs actually do anything?
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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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