What you need to know about the Nevada primary and caucus
As the calendar prepares to turn to February and the remaining Republican presidential candidates leave the prime candidate states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada – not South Carolina – is next on the schedule.
Former President Donald J. Trump will campaign in Las Vegas on Saturday, while Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has so far ignored the state. In a confusing and complicated process, the two candidates will not appear on the same ballot in Nevada.
Here's what you need to know about Nevada's upcoming nominating contests.
When are the Nevada primaries and caucus? How can I vote?
Nevada's state-run primary will take place on Tuesday, February 6. Early in-person voting begins on Saturday, January 27 and runs through Friday, February 2. according to the Nevada Secretary of State. In-person polling places will also be open on primary day, although voters can choose to vote by mail. All registered voters receive a ballot by mail.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party of Nevada has chosen to hold a party-hosted caucus on Thursday, February 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. look up their district locations online, but the caucus itself is completely personal. A valid government ID is required to vote.
Why does Nevada have both a primary and a caucus?
Nevada has held a caucus for decades. But in 2021, the state passed a law that replaced the caucus with a primary, largely due to flaws in the reporting process for the 2020 Democratic caucus.
Republicans objected to the new system, including mail-in voting, and decided to hold a caucus after unsuccessfully suing to throw out the primaries. The state party decided that only the results of the caucus – and not those of the primaries – would determine the allocation of delegates that count towards the nomination process.
The state party also said that any candidate who chose to participate in the primaries would be ineligible for the caucus, meaning presidential candidates would have to choose which contest to enter.
Republican voters can vote in both the primaries and the caucus, if they wish.
Confused? You are not alone. Even Nevada's Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, criticized the process, saying in a local news interview last year that it would be “detrimental to the candidates” and “disenfranchise some voters.”
Who will be on the ballot in each contest?
Ms. Haley has chosen to appear on the primary ballot, and she is the only major Republican candidate left in the race who will appear on it. “None of these candidates” is an option.
Mr. Trump has chosen to participate in the caucus, and he is the only major candidate left in that election. So while Ms. Haley is expected to win the primaries, it is almost certain that Trump will attend the caucuses, picking up 26 delegates along the way. Regardless of the outcome of either match, Ms. Haley will not earn one.
Critics of the split primary caucus system have said it was intended to benefit Mr. Trump, who has close ties to Nevada's Republican Party. Prominent political analysts And Mr Trump's rivals have suggested that the process was “rigged” for the former president.
Still, Ms. Haley could have chosen to compete against Trump for delegates by appearing on the caucus ballot, and the state party has denied that it set up the caucus to benefit him.
What about the Democrats?
The Nevada Democratic Party will hold one election, a primary, on the same day as Nevada Republicans, on February 6. President Biden will appear on the ballot, as will self-help author Marianne Williamson. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, another of Biden's challengers, chose not to run in Nevada.
Nevada has a closed primary system: Democrats can only vote in Democratic elections, and Republicans can only vote in Republican elections. Independent or nonpartisan voters cannot vote in either primary unless they choose party affiliation during early voting or on election day. To participate in the Republican caucus, voters had to register as Republicans in Nevada by January 9.