The Nevada caucuses operate very differently from the more common
primary election used by most other states (see
U.S. presidential primary). The caucuses are generally defined as "gatherings of neighbors." Rather than going to
polls and casting ballots, Nevadans gather at set locations throughout the state's precincts. The meetings occur in various locations: schools, churches, public libraries, casinos, and even individual homes. The caucuses are held every four years to determine whom Nevada's delegates will support in choosing Republican and Democratic presidential candidates. In addition to the voting and the presidential preference choices, caucus-goers may begin the process of writing their parties’ platforms by introducing resolutions, but most of that is not dealt with until the state convention level. Unlike in a primary, the Nevada caucus does not result directly in national delegates for each candidate. Instead, caucus-goers elect delegates to county conventions, who, in turn, elect delegates to state conventions, where Nevada's national convention delegates are selected. The process is rather similar to the better-known
Iowa caucuses, which are the first caucuses to occur in the nation. The Republicans and Democrats each hold their own set of caucuses. Participants in each party's caucuses must be registered with that party. The caucuses are subject to their own particular rules, which are subject to change from time to time.
Democratic Party process The
Nevada Democratic Party caucus is a closed caucus. However, "Any person who is eligible to vote in the state of Nevada and will be at least 18 years old on Election Day, November 3, 2020, may participate... Voters may register or change party affiliation on Caucus Day or at their in-person early vote location." As with other Democratic caucuses, voters gathered into preference groups for each candidate. A minimum threshold of 15 percent was required in each precinct in order to achieve viability. If a candidate's preference group was not viable, voters could choose to caucus with another group or to be uncommitted. Unlike the
Iowa Caucus, "raiding" of other, already viable caucus groups, was prohibited. This has changed in 2020, in that neither caucus allows raiding. Delegates to the county convention are then selected amongst the candidate groups. A similar process occurred at the county convention; although they file statements of support for their chosen candidate, all delegates are technically unbound until the state convention. The 2008 Nevada Democratic Party caucus, in addition to the 1,754 neighborhood caucus locations, held nine at-large caucus locations. These locations were made available for shift workers, who could not return to their home precincts to caucus. The at-large precincts were at the
Wynn,
Bellagio,
The Mirage,
Paris Las Vegas,
New York-New York,
Flamingo,
Caesars Palace, and
The Rio, all located in
Clark County. Workers who worked within 2.5 mi (4.0 km) of the caucus site and were scheduled to work during or within one hour of the caucus period, and had an employer ID showing their employment in the zone were permitted to attend. Unlike regular caucuses where delegates are apportioned based on registered voters, the at-large locations were allocated based on attendance, which caused controversy. In 2012, the general expectation was that, with President
Barack Obama having the advantage of
incumbency and being the only viable candidate running, the race would be primarily
pro forma. The process ran essentially the same as it had in 2008, and voter turnout was extremely low. In both 2008 and 2012, the Nevada Democratic Party reported county convention delegate totals to the media and not actual votes, as the Iowa Democratic Party did in its caucus.
Republican Party process The
Nevada Republican Party caucus is a closed caucus with eligibility limited to those registered 30 days before the caucus date including 17-year-olds who will be eligible to vote in the November general election. As in most other Republican caucuses, there are two components. First, delegates are elected from the attendees to represent the caucus-goers at the county conventions in March, and they generally announce who they support for president and why they should go to the county convention. Election of delegates is by show of hands. Then, a supporter of each campaign speaks on behalf of their candidate. Finally, a
straw poll, called a presidential preference poll, is taken of the individuals in the room. The preference poll is a
secret ballot with candidate names printed on them. Although the news media reports the results of the straw poll and assigns delegates proportionally based on it, in Nevada, it is the county conventions and the state convention which determine who actually goes to the
Republican National Convention. Thus, all delegates are unbound until the state convention in April, but they generally represent the preferences expressed by fellow Republicans in the straw poll. The 2012 Republican Party caucus combined Nevada's 1,835 precincts into 125 sites in order to ease the voting process. Voting was scheduled to occur from 9 am to 1 pm on February 4, 2012, and the results were scheduled to be announced at 5 pm. The 2012 Nevada Republican caucuses were originally scheduled to begin on February 18, 2012, a month later than the January 19, 2008, caucuses. On September 29, 2011, the entire schedule of caucuses and primaries was disrupted, however, when it was announced that the
Republican Party of Florida had decided to move up its primary to January 31, in an attempt to bring attention to its own primary contest and attract the presidential candidates to visit the state. Because of the move, the
Republican National Committee decided to strip
Florida of half of its delegates. Also as a result, the Nevada Republican Party, along with Iowa, New Hampshire and
South Carolina, then sought to move their caucuses back into early January. All but
Nevada, which agreed to follow Florida, confirmed their caucus and primary dates to take place throughout January, with Nevada deciding to hold its contest on February 4, 2012.:) == Democratic results ==