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Nevada, now early in '08 calendar, needs Caucus 101

Political parties and campaigns are racing to train voters, holding mock caucuses or 'mockuses.' Glitches are common in these sessions since trainers themselves are newbies to the caucus system.

from the December 14, 2007 edition

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Iowa precinct chairs in 2004 had to call the hot line several times to get through with their questions, says Dr. Redlawsk, because all the snags tend to come within the same 15-minute window. It wasn't a huge problem, he says, partly because enough precincts had longtime veterans at the helm. "You should not underestimate the value of people who have been precinct chairs since 1984 [since] they have pretty much seen it all," he says.

"You can anticipate all kinds of snafus. But I don't think it's going to matter much because I think the results will be messy with or without the snafus," says Ted Jelen, a professor of political science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. "I'm looking for something fairly close here."

In some respects, caucuses are understood to be harder and to draw lower turnout, therefore lowering the bar a bit for what constitutes success.

One of the earliest Iowa caucuses in 1976 drew 7 percent turnout, and the Nevada Democrats say 10 percent "would be wonderful."

"People take Iowa very seriously even though 124,000 [Democrats] participated in 2004," says Dr. Jelen. "Nevada is the first place where organized labor is very powerful, and that's a bellwether for the labor vote in other states."

The mockus succeeded in leaving attendees more confident – and excited – about the process. "Now that I understand the process I'll be able to go and speak and do something," says Candice Davis, a young Las Vegas resident. "It seems like it will be a lot of fun, and it will be fun with a purpose." The word "caucus" doesn't exist in Spanish-speaking countries, so one of the tasks for Nevada's caucus organizers and Spanish-language media was to settle on common vocabulary. The word "el caucus" won out, along with "recinto electoral" for "precinct."

Hispanics make up a quarter of Nevada's population, and both parties are reaching out to the community for votes and volunteers and plan to have Spanish speakers available at various precincts to help with translation. The state Democratic Party has even sponsored a soccer team.

But will the interactive format of the caucuses frighten off those who have limited English skills?

The process can be intimidating to anyone, regardless of language barriers, says Andreas Ramirez, Hispanic outreach director for the Nevada Democratic Party. But for those with limited English, walking into a voting booth alone can be more intimidating than a caucus, where people can rely on the friends and family around them, he says.

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