Ballot Battleground: Nevada

Ballot Battleground: Nevada is back for Season 3.

2026 is an election year — and here in Nevada, the stakes are high. From Congressional races and a crucial Governor’s race to state and local contests and major ballot questions, we’re covering it all.

I’m Ben Margiott, a reporter at News 4 Reno and Fox 11, and I'm passionate about breaking down Nevada politics to make it more accessible, more digestible, and more relevant for voters across our critical battleground state.

Season 3 kicks off February 4, with new episodes every other Wednesday to start — and weekly episodes as Election Day approaches.

Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And new this season, you can watch full episodes on YouTube on the News 4 Reno page.

Subscribe, follow, and get ready for the 2026 election season.
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After 7 days, Nevada lawmakers adjourned the state’s 36th special legislative session sine die late Wednesday.

The week was packed with unexpected surprises, important policy debates, long lulls in the action and criticism about the lack of transparency.

From a rare procedural move that nearly derailed film tax credits on day 1 to lawmakers adding their own bill to the agenda for the first time ever, it was a dramatic special session - which could have major implications for 2026.

This episode, host Ben Margiott breaks down everything that happened — floor debates, committee hearings, and behind-the-scenes negotiations — with the reporters who were there every day: Tabitha Mueller and Eric Neugeboren of The Nevada Independent and Paul Boger of KNPR.
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In the 2026 midterms, Washoe County will — once again — have someone new running its elections.

Andrew McDonald is the county’s new registrar of voters — the 4th person to hold that job since 2022.

But McDonald says he’s in it for the long haul and he's got some big goals: moving the registrar’s office to a bigger location, continuing to clean up the voter rolls, and bringing in new voting machines that leave a paper record for every ballot cast in person.

In Nevada election quirk, high card draw breaks tie in rural Washoe County trustee contest

RGJ: Election security: Pilot program will focus on voter rolls | Clara Andriola

Critic of Washoe election integrity turns to praise with new voter roll challenge
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It's mail time at Ballot Battleground: Nevada. This week, we're digging through the listener mailbag once again with News 4 and Fox 11 morning show anchor Chris Murphy.

Host Ben Margiott and Chris answer questions ranging from tax reform and John Doe's identity to open primaries and the cost of a special legislative session.

Do you have questions for our next mailbag? Send them to [email protected] and put Ballot Battleground: Nevada in the subject line.

Does Nevada need property tax reform? Legislative push renewed amid budget shortfalls

Bonus episode: Rep. Mark Amodei on the federal government shutdown

Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei on tariffs, Signalgate, DOGE, immigration and moreHow much will Lombardo's special session of Nevada Legislature cost? Here's what we found
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Legislators will be headed back to Carson City this fall for another special session of the Nevada legislature — the sixth since 2020.

Governor Joe Lombardo announced he wants them to finish some 'unfinished business' in the next few months.

So when exactly will that be? What still needs to get done? And why have there been so many special sessions lately?
One of the biggest issues likely to come up is whether Nevada should offer new tax credits to attract the film industry to Las Vegas, so we figured we'd bring in two southern Nevada journalists.
Host Ben Margiott chats with McKenna Ross, politics and government reporter with the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Steve Sebelius, senior political reporter with KTNV Channel 13.
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