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| Nevada caucuses: Democrats prepare to vote in most diverse 2020 state yet | Nevada caucuses: Democrats prepare to vote in most diverse 2020 state yet |
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| Electorate in ‘first-in-the-west’ primary is more representative of Democratic party than voters in earlier states | Electorate in ‘first-in-the-west’ primary is more representative of Democratic party than voters in earlier states |
| Nevada residents will be casting their votes in the “first-in-the-west” primary contest that will play a key role in choosing the Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump. | Nevada residents will be casting their votes in the “first-in-the-west” primary contest that will play a key role in choosing the Democratic candidate to take on Donald Trump. |
| Voters started lining up at some of the 200 caucus sites across the state on Saturday morning, preparing for the caucuses’ noon start. After days of perma-blue skies, it was raining in Las Vegas on Saturday, with volunteers bracing against the conditions to welcome voters to their sites. | |
| The caucuses mark the first voting in a state with a diverse electorate that more closely resembles the demographics of the US and the Democratic party. Nevada is nearly 30% Latino and 10% black and has a rapidly growing Asian American population. | |
| They could be a make-or-break moment for several Democratic contenders . Polls have shown the Vermont senator Bernie Sanders with a significant lead after he cemented his frontrunner status in Iowa and New Hampshire. | |
| Sanders’ final rally in Las Vegas on Friday night attracted more than 2,000 people, according to his campaign. Supporters waved cellphone lights in the air. Thousands screamed and clapped as the Vermont senator, at an outdoor amphitheater and backlit in blue, mentioned his signature policies. “The American people understand that it is time for fundamental change,” Sanders said. | |
| Iowa and New Hampshire, the first two states in the Democratic primary, are 90% white and delivered strong results for the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg. But polling has shown the more moderate candidate struggling with black and Latino voters. The Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar, the other midwestern candidate vying for moderates, has also polled poorly with voters of color and has recently faced tough questions about her record as a prosecutor. | |
| The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren had disappointing results in the first two states, but a standout debate night in Las Vegas this week has re-energized her campaign. Warren’s team said on Saturday they had raised more than $14m in the past 10 days. | |
| Joe Biden’s poll numbers have continued to drop since his weak performance in the previous two contests, and another disappointing finish could jeopardize his bid for the presidency. | |
| The billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had an embarrassing first debate performance this week, is not on the ballot in Nevada due to his late entrance into the race. | The billionaire former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had an embarrassing first debate performance this week, is not on the ballot in Nevada due to his late entrance into the race. |
| Unlike private votes in traditional primaries, the caucuses have voters gather in groups based on their top-choice candidate, giving them an opportunity to switch to a second choice if their first pick doesn’t gather enough support to be considered “viable” in that precinct. | Unlike private votes in traditional primaries, the caucuses have voters gather in groups based on their top-choice candidate, giving them an opportunity to switch to a second choice if their first pick doesn’t gather enough support to be considered “viable” in that precinct. |
| It’s also the first time the state has offered early voting opportunities, and nearly 75,000 residents have already cast their ballots. A majority were first-time caucus-goers, according to Democratic party officials. | It’s also the first time the state has offered early voting opportunities, and nearly 75,000 residents have already cast their ballots. A majority were first-time caucus-goers, according to Democratic party officials. |
| Nevada Democrats have been scrambling to avoid the technology failures that caused chaos in the Iowa caucuses, due to mishaps involving an app. Nevada officials initially said precincts would use Google forms software to relay the votes, but a day before the election said they would instead rely on a more traditional phone hotline. The last-minute changes have raised concerns that the counting could be slow or messy, and the party has said it cannot commit to releasing same-day results after the caucuses, which begin at noon local time. | Nevada Democrats have been scrambling to avoid the technology failures that caused chaos in the Iowa caucuses, due to mishaps involving an app. Nevada officials initially said precincts would use Google forms software to relay the votes, but a day before the election said they would instead rely on a more traditional phone hotline. The last-minute changes have raised concerns that the counting could be slow or messy, and the party has said it cannot commit to releasing same-day results after the caucuses, which begin at noon local time. |
| Nevada is the second-to-last contest before 14 states vote on Super Tuesday in March. | |
| “Nevada determines how things are going to go in the rest of the country,” said Geoconda Argüello-Kline, secretary treasurer for the Culinary Union, the state’s most powerful labor group, which represents Las Vegas casino workers. | |
| At the caucus site in Sparks high school in Reno, in Nevada’s south, on Saturday, many of those who showed up early were Sanders supporters. Naomi Zamarripa, a high schooler, was voting for the first time: “I love [Sanders’] commitment,” she said. “He’s been around for so long. He keeps fighting and stays true to his beliefs.” | |
| Kambrya Blake, 29, said her main priority in the election was climate change. “We have less than a decade to take action. Bernie is the only candidate promising to aggressively tackle the issue,” she said. “People are nervous he’s not moderate, but I think he’s drawing more people than any other candidate,” she added. | |
| Essie Richard was one of the first voters to arrive at the Sparks High school caucus site. “I’m Biden all the way,” Richard, 73, said. “He was vice-president for eight years. He has the experience.” Richard said she was confident Biden would protect social security and medicare. “I’m barely surviving,” she said. | |
| Some Nevada voters said they still hadn’t made up their minds about their top choices in the final hours before the caucuses. | |
| Leo Gonzalez, a 25-year-old who works in TV production in Reno, said he had personally met Klobuchar, Steyer and Biden and had taken detailed notes on his phone about their speeches: “Each of them have been super compelling, and the biggest thing for me is how emotional each of them were.” | |
| But he said he was still considering every candidate, except the congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard. Healthcare was his top priority: “I don’t think people should have to choose between things in their life and being alive.” | |
| Betsy Aguiar, a 26-year-old child developmental specialist in Reno, said she was considering Klobuchar, Buttigieg and Biden and was anxious about Sanders’ ability to attract moderate voters: “It makes me really nervous, because I think there are a lot of middle-of-the-road Democrats. I’m more interested in all of us coming together ... It feels like we are really divided.” |