In the lead up to the 2024 elections, all eyes were on Nevada. Not only is Nevada a swing state, but it also had several high profile ballot measures, including one that would enshrine abortion access in the state constitution.
The Washoe County GOP Voter Guide made several claims about this ballot measure, including the following:
“A ‘no’ vote to this amendment would stop non-doctors from performing abortions through all nine months.”
The Indy decided to address this claim via two fact briefs:
Would Nevada’s abortion ballot question now allow for abortions through all 9 months of a pregnancy? (NO.)
This was a misleading claim. In fact, as The Indy laid out in its brief, this ballot measure “would protect the right to an abortion until ‘fetal viability,’ which is defined as there being ‘a significant likelihood of the fetus' sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.’ That time frame is generally considered about 23 or 24 weeks.”
This fact brief was widely circulated, and appears as a top search result for relevant keywords, creating a highly visible and discoverable correction. It also yielded very high “time on page” metrics, meaning that readers were highly engaged with its findings.
Would Nevada’s abortion ballot question allow non-doctors to perform abortions? (YES)
This fact brief tackled the second part of the claim, and concluded that the voter guide was correct, the ballot measure specifies that, “all individuals have a right to abortion ‘performed or administered by a qualified health care practitioner,’” that may include “registered nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners or midwives, as well as physicians.”
The fact brief also provided additional context for the reader on how anomalous this provision would be: “One 2022 study found that 19 states allow non-physicians to perform medication and procedural abortions.”
Both of these fact briefs were shared by Carson City’s chief elections administrator.
The takeaway:
Fact briefs gave The Indy an efficient mechanism to correct the record and provide context for important claims in the Washoe County GOP’s Voter Guide. Their work helped ensure voters had the relevant facts required to make informed decisions at the ballot box in Nevada.