Date set for Nevada GOP caucus

It's official. Nevada Republicans will hold their presidential caucus on Feb. 18, 2012, meaning the state will vote after the two traditional first states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

The caucus will be binding, meaning Nevada delegates must stick with their picks through the GOP nominating convention.

State delegates will be divided up based on how many votes each candidate gets, a proportional accounting aimed at drawing more White House hopefuls to compete in Nevada.

The Nevada Republican Party's state executive committee formally voted on the date at a meeting Wednesday night, three weeks after GOP leaders decided to make the caucus binding.

"This decision will allow Nevada Republicans the opportunity to help select our party's presidential nominee," Nevada GOP Chairman Mark Amodei said in a statement. "This is an important responsibility, because the failed economic policies of President (Barack) Obama have made Nevada the nation's leader in unemployment. Nevadans cannot afford four more years of his job-killing agenda in the White House."

The 2008 GOP caucus in Nevada got little attention because it was not binding. That meant that delegates who lined up behind presidential candidate Mitt Romney to give him the victory didn't have to stick by him.

Democrats are expected to hold their party caucus on Feb. 18, too.