Format creates state of confusion

A little confused about the ins and outs of Saturday's presidential caucus? Join the club.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties said they have been overwhelmed this week with phone calls from voters who aren't sure where and when they're supposed to caucus.

"The phones have been ringing so much I had to hire a temp agency to come in," said Zachary Moyle, executive director of Nevada's Republican Party. "Our voice mail fills up every two hours."

Even more confusing might be the specifics surrounding nine at-large caucus sites meant to accommodate thousands of Strip shift workers who otherwise wouldn't be able to participate on Saturday morning.

Assuming a pending lawsuit to block the operation of the at-large caucus locations fails, who is and isn't eligible to participate in caucuses at Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, Flamingo Las Vegas, Luxor, Caesars Palace, Rio, New York-New York, The Mirage and Paris Las Vegas?

"Any shift worker, union or non-union, who works within 21/2 miles of each property" can participate, said Kirsten Searer, deputy executive director for the Nevada Democratic Party.

The workers don't have to be employed at one of the hotel-casinos.

"You can be working at the McDonald's, the gas station, the movie theater, anywhere within 21/2 miles," Searer said.

Anyone who chooses to vote at the at-large sites must sign a registration form attesting, under penalty of law, that he or she is a shift worker within 21/2 miles of the location and is either scheduled to work during or within one hour of the caucus, Searer said.

The voters must also bring with them "some sort of employee ID that indicates you are a shift worker" within that distance.

Republican shift workers are out of luck. The Strip sites are strictly for Democrats.

"Yeah, unfortunately, they (Republicans) can't do that," Moyle said. "They have to go to their home precincts."

The Nevada State Education Association filed a lawsuit to block the Democratic Party from operating at-large voting sites on the Strip. A hearing on the matter was scheduled for this morning before U.S. District Judge James Mahan.

The Saturday caucus start time for Democrats is 11 a.m. Republicans will begin caucusing at 9 a.m.

Democrats and Republicans who are unsure where they should report for their caucus may visit the parties' Web sites: www.nvdemscaucus.com or www.nvgopcaucus.com.

Independent voters who would like to participate in the caucuses may register as Democrats on caucus day at the Democratic site for their precinct. Independents who want to participate in Republican caucuses are out of luck unless they registered as Republicans by Dec. 19.

Republicans who might want to participate in the Democratic caucuses instead may also register as Democrats the day of the caucus, Searer said.

That means that a registered Republican could conceivably participate in his own party's caucus, then drive to his neighborhood's Democratic caucus, switch parties and participate in a second caucus in his own small effort to wield more influence in the process.

That scenario is unlikely, Searer said.

"That's always been a concern about same-day registration" at caucuses in other states, she said. "It never happens."

Besides, "you would have to organize literally thousands of people to make a difference."

One positive aspect to all the confusion, Moyle said, is that it proves how much interest there is in Nevada's upcoming caucus.

"We haven't slept in days" because of all the phone calls, he said. "Anyone who doesn't think it's going to be a huge turnout is wrong."

Contact reporter Lynnette Curtis at lcurtis@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0285.