Aaron Ford

Aaron Ford

Aaron Ford

Democrat

 

for

 

Attorney General

 

Campaign Contact Phone: (858) 245-0297


Website: https://fordfornevada.com


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fordfornevada


Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronDFordNV



2022 Questionnaire


Please share briefly what inspired you to run for this office and why you feel you’re qualified for the position.

 

As Nevada’s Attorney General, my goal continues to be protecting Nevada families. I believe there is no task greater than the pursuit of justice and have adopted the motto of “Our Job is Justice.” My priority areas include: constitutional rights, criminal justice reform, consumer protection, client service, and community engagement.
A former State Senator, I previously served as both the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader in the Nevada State Legislature and held leadership roles on several legislative committees. During my term as a State Senator, I led the passage of significant legislation that required police officers to wear body cameras. I was also the impetus for a local district attorney to create a “Conviction Integrity Unit” to review cases that allege wrongful conviction.
As the chief law enforcement officer for the state, my goal continues to be helping to protect Nevada families. Under my direction, my office has made protecting consumers from fraud, scams, and anti-competitive activity a top priority. During my tenure in office, our Bureau of Consumer Protection secured over $85 million in recoveries on behalf of Nevada consumers. Consistent with my commitment to help Nevada families, I have aggressively pursued those responsible for fueling Nevada’s opioid crisis. I am proud to have obtained the State’s first settlement of $45 million on behalf of countless Nevada families who have lost relatives to opioid abuse.
I always strive to help those around me, particularly our most vulnerable communities. I have held two statewide law enforcement summits with local and national experts to fight human trafficking; I helped lead Nevada’s sexual assault kit initiative and am proud to have completed the State’s initiative to test nearly 8,000 previously untested sexual assault kits; and I worked with my prosecutors to revive a cold case and bring justice for a Nevada mother who lost her daughter to a brutal murder more than 40 years ago.

What policies would you propose for dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our state’s economy?

The right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy – and I vow to continue fighting all GOP efforts to curb voting access because addressing threats to voting rights is necessary to protect future elections.
In the wake of the 2020 elections, I successfully represented Nevada’s Secretary of State during multiple lawsuits from the Trump campaign and state GOP – including a lawsuit seeking to temporarily halt the counting of election ballots in Clark County. The First Judicial District Court Judge James Wilson’s ruling in our favor made clear that there is a proper procedure to observe an election that even the president must follow, and it’s most certainly a victory for the constitutional rights of all Nevadans. I am proud that all lawsuits against the state of Nevada brought by the Trump campaign and Nevada state GOP were unsuccessful.

Nevada has historically protected the right to abortion, including protecting the right in statute 30 years ago by a vote of the people. However, there remain barriers to access in the state. Do you support not only the right to abortion but policies that improve equitable access to abortion care?

 

Yes

The state of Nevada is facing an unprecedented shortage of health care providers – a problem that impacts every area of medicine, including the provision of sexual and reproductive care. Do you support removing the physician-only requirement and allowing advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to provide this vital care to patients with training and certification?

 

Yes, inasmuch as doing so is not inconsistent with my role as Attorney General.

Comprehensive, age and developmentally appropriate, medically-accurate, inclusive sex education has been proven to improve students’ long-term health outcomes, yet it is not required that students be provided with this information in their sex-ed programs. Do you believe that public school sex-ed programs should be comprehensive, medically accurate, and inclusive?

 

Yes

It is well documented that patients of color face greater obstacles to obtaining sexual and reproductive health care than non-Hispanic white Americans – a pattern that results in worse health outcomes overall for BIPOC patients. Do you not only acknowledge systemic racism’s role in public health disparities but will you pursue policies that seek to rectify the historical harm of systemic racism and advance equitable access to health care?

 

Yes

Knowing that the death penalty is exorbitantly expensive, racially discriminatory, and does not promote true healing for victims family members, do you support its abolition and do you think ending the death penalty is a crucial part of criminal justice reform?

 

Yes – I support abolishing the death penalty. We know that there are stark racial disparities among those on death row, intellectual deficiencies of those sentenced to die, and the fact that innocent people have been convicted of murders they did not commit, with several death sentences reversed on appeal in Nevada.

   

Anti-transgender bills are being introduced across the United States that attempt to trans prevent people from having access to health care, gender re-assignment surgery, and access to sports in schools. Do you support transgender equality and access to healthcare and an athletic school experience?

 

Yes

Nevada has a significant undocumented population, how will you ensure your office is accessible to all Nevadans?

 

I believe that EVERYBODY counts, and am proud that my office joined lawsuit against Trump administration’s plan to exclude undocumented immigrants in 2020 census. Undocumented persons are still members of Nevada’s state and local communities – and undocumented immigrants work and pay taxes in their communities and have children who are U.S. citizens. My office has always and will continue to provide assistance for all Nevadans.

How would you use your office to strengthen the rights of the undocumented population and their access to their legal protections, critical public services, and quality of life?

In addition to the above measures, I was proud to lead a multi-state effort to protect DACA by filing an amicus brief in the lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s unlawful rescission of DACA. I also joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general fighting alongside President Joseph Biden to pause deportations pending the Administration’s review of policies. And during my first year as Attorney General, I joined a coalition opposing HUD rule to evist undocumented immigrants. As the People’s Attorney, I will always fight for all Nevadans.

Describe your understanding of the Confidential Address Program. What would be your approach to inform community members of this program?

The Nevada Confidential Address Program (CAP) is a program that helps victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking and/or stalking from being located by the perpetrator through public records. My office has publicly available information about CAP on our website.