Nevada Democratic Party spells out caucus plan

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez and Nevada Democratic Chairman William McCurdy have signed off on plans they say should draw a record number of Democrats to upcoming caucuses and conventions.

The plan includes four days of in-person early voting at nearly 80 locations statewide as well as multi-lingual caucus materials and workplace caucus sites to accommodate Nevada’s 24-hour workforce.

Perez said the caucuses as planned will be the most accessible Nevada contest in history.

“The primary goal in crafting this plan was to ensure as many Nevada Democrats as possible are given the opportunity to make their voice heard and I believe we will do that in 2020,” said McCurdy.

Both said as the third contest in the nation and first in the west, Nevada will play a critical role in determining the party’s nominees including for President.

The process will begin with early voting.

In Carson City, early voting sites will be open Saturday February 15, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday February 16, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Tuesday February 18, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Other counties have more sites and different hours. A complete list of early voting sites and hours is posted at nvdems.com/early-vote/

Party officials point out that, to participate in the caucuses, people must be registered Democrats. Any registered Democrat can participate in early voting and the caucuses.

Information on the caucuses is available at caucus.nvdems.com. To register, voters must submit their email address, last name, date of birth and zip code.

Then click on your matching name in the voter registration records and confirm your current street address to finish pre-registration.

Voters can also register as a Democrat at that site or update their existing registration.

Precinct caucuses are set for February 22 at your precinct site. Voters must show up at the precinct site where they are registered to vote. Precinct sites will be posted on the party’s website by January 15.

Once inside participants divide into presidential preference groups. If a candidate’s preference group doesn’t have enough people to be considered viable, those caucus participants can join another group.

The threshold number of participants will be set at the start of the caucus at each precinct.

Delegates will be awarded based on the size of each group.

In addition, any registered Democrat can run for election as a delegate to the county or state convention.

County conventions are scheduled for April 18 and the state convention for May 30. Any caucus participant can be considered for election to their county convention. Candidates for national delegates must participate in either their caucus or by voting early.