LAS VEGAS — Early voting for Nevada’s Democratic caucuses started on Saturday, with a number of main candidates rallying supporters amid lingering
LAS VEGAS — Early voting for Nevada’s Democratic caucuses started on Saturday, with a number of main candidates rallying supporters amid lingering issues about whether or not Nevada would be capable to keep away from a repeat of the caucus fiasco in Iowa.
So, for instance, when Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont addressed a crowd in a highschool cafeteria on Saturday, with a mariachi band taking the stage earlier than he did, his supporters had been sharply centered on the method in addition to on Mr. Sanders and his opponents.
Quite a few individuals expressed concern concerning the logistics of a caucus that they wish to ship a speedy and unequivocal victory to their candidate.
“I went to a coaching final week, and there are many issues among the many marketing campaign: ‘How’s it really going to work?’” mentioned Paul Kleemann, a precinct captain volunteer for the Sanders marketing campaign who teaches highschool guitar in Las Vegas. “We had been supposed to make use of the identical app as Iowa, however they scrapped that, and as of Wednesday they hadn’t launched how they had been going to get the early caucus outcomes to the precincts.” He added: “It’s a little bit scary at this level.”
In Nevada, early voting is being held from Saturday via Tuesday upfront of subsequent Saturday’s caucuses. Democratic officers within the state are beneath stress to keep away from the debacle in Iowa that delayed and muddied the reporting of outcomes from the primary nominating contest.
After initially planning to make use of an identical telephone app to what was utilized in Iowa to tabulate vote and switch knowledge, Nevada officers have as a substitute mentioned that they’d distribute iPads to caucus chairs, and depend on on-line response types submitted via Google to calculate and tabulate the outcomes of the caucuses.
However the early caucuses are new this yr and occasion officers have nonetheless not made clear how they plan to provide precinct chairs the outcomes through the in-person caucuses. For early caucusing, voters are requested to rank their high three decisions on a kind that enables them to checklist as much as 5.
These types will likely be tabulated by occasion officers, and the outcomes will likely be distributed to precinct chairs through the caucus subsequent Saturday. Presidential campaigns and caucus volunteers have expressed frustration that they nonetheless shouldn’t have clear steering on many particulars about how the outcomes will likely be recorded and reported to the general public.
A number of officers from the Democratic Nationwide Committee have flown to Las Vegas up to now week to assist the state occasion, which has repeatedly expressed confidence that the caucuses will unfold with out issues.
“That is the primary time we’ve accomplished early voting, and we’ve obtained to get this proper as a result of all eyes are on Nevada,” Consultant Dina Titus, Democrat of Nevada, mentioned on Friday. “And if we do a great job, then perhaps we get to be first as a substitute of Iowa subsequent time round.”
Mr. Sanders got here into the weekend driving excessive, having emerged from New Hampshire with a victory in this past week’s primary, and he was one in all a number of candidates who sought to rally supporters within the state on Saturday.
The burst of campaigning in Nevada signaled a brand new section within the major race, after the Iowa caucuses on Feb. three and the New Hampshire major this previous Tuesday. The candidates have now plunged right into a pivotal and chaotic portion of the calendar, with important contests developing in Nevada and South Carolina, and a slew of contests looming on Tremendous Tuesday in early March.
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who’s in search of to stabilize his marketing campaign with a robust displaying in Nevada after weak performances in Iowa and New Hampshire, started his day by visiting a barber faculty, the place he went from barber chair to barber chair greeting individuals. Then he addressed supporters in a center faculty fitness center, the place he was joined by a number of elected officers, together with Mayor Eric M. Garcetti of Los Angeles, a nationwide co-chair of Mr. Biden’s marketing campaign.
As she fights to construct on momentum popping out of New Hampshire, Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota started her day within the suburb of Henderson, talking inside a marriage occasion heart tucked right into a strip mall.
She delivered her 45-minute stump speech, pitching herself to a crowd that included many undecided voters who had been listening to her for the primary time. She embraced the newfound consideration as an asset, telling the group that she had acquired greater than $three million in on-line donations for the reason that New Hampshire major.
As she usually does, Ms. Klobuchar centered on her picture as a reasonable, taking a swipe at Mr. Sanders.
“I feel I used to be the one one which raised my hand and mentioned, ‘, I’ve some hassle with having our ticket led by socialism,’” she mentioned.
One observer at an early caucus web site at a library in East Las Vegas was Harry Reid, the previous Senate majority chief and lengthy the state’s strongest Democrat.
Mr. Reid, who appeared in a wheelchair, has not endorsed a Democrat within the race and usually praised the entire candidates he was requested about.
He mentioned it was…