Ballot Battleground: Nevada
Ballot Battleground: Nevada is a show where we take deep dives into the issues, people, policies and debates shaping Nevada 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.
Episodes
April 30, 2025 • 40 mins
It's almost time to get down to brass tax in Carson City as we're a little over two-thirds of the way through the 83rd legislative session.
The massive list of bills has been whittled down somewhat, but perhaps more important than what legislation gets passed is passing a balanced budget.
With revenues lagging behind expectations, it seems Nevada may be in a budget crunch this session. How bad is it? How do both sides want to wea...
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April 18, 2025 • 30 mins
Jacky Rosen is back in the U.S. Senate for a second term representing the Silver State - after she barely hung on to her seat amid the red wave.
Democrats are in the minority in both the Senate and House, but Senator Rosen says they’re finding their footing when it comes to pushing back on tariffs, deportations, DOGE and more.
This episode, host Ben Margiott sits down with Senator Rosen for an extended one-on-one conversation on...
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April 7, 2025 • 42 mins
Longtime northern Nevada Representative Mark Amodei, fresh off his 2024 re-election, is now part of the GOP's slim House majority in President Donald Trump's second term.
It's been a busy start, from the back-and-forth over enacting tariffs, DOGE cuts, deportations, Medicaid, the Signal group chat controversy and much more.
Where does Amodei stand on these issues? This week, host Ben Margiott sits down with him for a one-on-one i...
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March 25, 2025 • 35 mins
A fast-growing state, lagging incomes and a limited supply of developable land created an affordable housing crisis in Nevada before the pandemic hit. Supply chain constraints and construction costs experienced during COVID-19 only exacerbated the issue.
In the pandemic's wake, have our elected leaders done enough to solve the affordable housing crisis? What's it going to take to put Nevada on a sustainable path to boost housing ...
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March 12, 2025 • 36 mins
Residents of a small Nevada town were promised high-speed fiber internet from Reno-based Uprise Fiber. Nearly 3 years later, there is no progress whatsoever and $9 million allocated to the project by the state is missing. Now, investigations have been launched and the story has shifted to the Nevada legislature. The story may not have been uncovered and certainly would not have received the amount of attention it has if not for the...
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February 26, 2025 • 36 mins
What's happened so far in the 2025 Nevada legislature? From a fast-tracked egg prices bill and ending Daylight Saving Time to possible Medicaid cuts, there's been a flurry of activity recently after a few slow weeks to start. One month in, we thought it would be a great time to check in on the biggest debates of the 83rd session with two of the best legislative reporters.
The Nevada Independent's Tabitha Mueller and Nevada Public R...
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February 12, 2025 • 38 mins
The clock is ticking at the 83rd session of the Nevada legislature, which kicked off last week in Carson City. Before we dive into the nitty gritty of the session, we wanted to start with an approachable, easy-to-understand primer for people who are brand new to #nvleg. How does our unusual citizen legislature work? How does a bill become a law? And how does the building really operate?
Veteran lobbyist Will Adler, principal of Sil...
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January 29, 2025 • 32 mins
Welcome back to season 2 of Ballot Battleground: Nevada! We'll kick off season 2 with a deep dive on the first major political event of the odd years in Nevada politics - the Governor's State of the State address.
That speech sets the stage for what's to come in the upcoming legislative session. This week, we have the perfect guest to give us some insight - former Lombardo chief of staff Ben Kieckhefer.
Kieckhefer has worn many hat...
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January 22, 2025 • 2 mins
We're back! Season 2 of Ballot Battleground: Nevada returns on January 29 with a renewed focus on getting regular people more informed and involved in their government. With the 2024 election behind us, host Ben Margiott will now focus on how the newly elected officials are using their power. Will they fulfill the lofty promises made on the campaign trail? Or will they find those goals not feasible in reality? Will the policies the...
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All 17 of Nevada's counties have certified the results of the 2024 election, bringing this unprecedented cycle officially to a close. This week on Ballot Battleground: Nevada, host Ben Margiott recaps the dramatic canvass meeting in Washoe County and looks ahead to 2025.
Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford joins to explain how his office intends to stand up to efforts to infringe on Nevadans' rights and be a 'bulwark' against the in...
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What really happened in the 2024 election is now coming into focus with all the results now in. What are the biggest takeaways? What lessons did we learn about the electorate? What will candidates and campaigns take away and use in future elections? Tabitha Mueller, reporter with The Nevada Independent, and Lucia Starbuck, KUNR political reporter, join host Ben Margiott to talk takeaways. The three chatted about the importance of e...
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November 6, 2024 • 35 mins
For the first time since 2004, a Republican presidential candidate won the Silver State. Former President Donald Trump won Nevada's 6 electoral votes, but how did he beat his 2016 and 2020 margins?
The Cook Political Report's Matthew Klein joins the podcast to explain the gains Trump made with key demographic groups to secure Nevada and the remaining 6 battleground states.
Plus, election night reporters Kim Burrows and Sophie Linco...
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It's our last podcast before Election Day 2024! Vice President Kamala Harris makes her first Reno stop plus a quick update on the latest early voting numbers.
The Nevada Independent CEO Jon Ralston joins to chat about whether Democrats can still close the turnout gap in the Silver State and what's driving this unprecedented trend.
Emerson College's polling director Spencer Kimball chats about their latest survey plus the outside sh...
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One week remains until Election Day 2024. The final NYT/Siena College national poll shows Trump and Harris deadlocked at 48-48. Siena College Research Institute director Dr. Don Levy joins to explain what that poll means, how it compares to their last head-to-head poll and how pollsters adjust for non-response bias.
We also recap Sen. JD Vance's second Reno rally, including our question on a hot-button issue.
Plus, a quick update o...
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Early voting has begun in the Silver State and already over 320,000 Nevadans have voted. This week, we have the sounds from the first days of early voting, a quick glance at early voting turnout numbers and an update on Washoe GOP's unproven claims of voting irregularities with the machines. Plus, host Ben Margiott interviews pollster Dr. Steven Kull, who has done 10 issue surveys in Nevada and several other swing states. How do Ne...
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October 18, 2024 • 41 mins
Mail ballots are arriving, early in-person voting starts this weekend and after months of campaigning, billions in spending and one of the craziest years in American politics ever, the 2024 general election is upon us. We start with a a quick recap of former President Trump's Reno rally and have several 2024 election updates, including a ballot error in Carson City, three voter roll lawsuits being withdrawn and tell you about Washo...
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October 15, 2024 • 31 mins
It would be the most consequential change to Nevada's election laws in decades. Question 3 would put open primaries and ranked choice voting in the state constitution if it passes in November. News 4-Fox 11 hosted the first Ballot Battleground: Nevada debate featuring two guests from each side of this contentious initiative. This week, we bring you the entire debate with Molly Ellery and Mike Escobar representing the Yes on 3 campa...
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How ranked choice voting effort started, a conservative perspective on Question 3 and Tim Walz rally
October 9, 2024 • 33 mins
Our Question 3 debate is less than a week away, but before we bring you that debate, we've got a few more perspectives on Nevada's open primaries and ranked choice voting initiative.
After a quick recap of Tim Walz's Reno rally, we interview Doug Goodman, founder of Nevadans for Election Reform and John Tsarpalas, president of the Nevada Policy Research Institute. Goodman gives the backstory on how the ranked choice effort started ...
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October 2, 2024 • 38 mins
Nevadans will soon decide if the Silver State will become the 4th state to use ranked choice voting to pick its representatives. Before Nevadans decide on this revolutionary change, we're taking a closer look at how it’s worked in other states. Has it been smooth? Have there been hiccups? Has it taken longer to get results? And do people like it?
This week, you’ll hear from two veteran reporters who have covered the implementation ...
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September 25, 2024 • 37 mins
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 featuring two guests from each side of the...
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