GOP caucus or primary? That is the question!

By VERNON ROBISON

The Progress

The process to choose the presidential candidates for the November General Election ballot is quickly approaching in Nevada. And this year that process is anything but clear – specifically for Republicans.

A Presidential Preference Primary (PPP) will be held in Nevada on Tuesday, Feb. 6. Candidates from both parties are on the ballot. Only voters who are registered as Democrat or Republican may vote in their respective party primary.

Early voting in the PPP starts Jan. 27. In Mesquite, early voting will be held at Sun City at 1350 Flat Top Mesa Dr. on Jan. 27 and at the Jimmie Hughes campus at 150 N. Yucca St. on Jan. 28-29.

Moapa Valley residents can participate in early voting at the MV Community Center at 320N. Moapa Valley Blvd. on Jan. 30. All locations will be open from 9 am to 6 pm.
Election day is on Feb. 6 to be held at the usual polling places in both valleys.

For Democrats this process is all very clear. But its a lot more complex on the Republican side.

The Nevada GOP has opted to hold a caucus two days after the PPP on Feb. 8. That has thrown a wrench of confusion into the works for many voters.

The GOP has said that candidates on the PPP ballot will not be eligible to receive the state’s delegates at the National Convention in July where the candidate is finally chosen.

In other words, if you are a Republican in Nevada, it is the caucus that really counts!

So why are Nevada Republicans sorting through two separate events? For some insight into that, The Progress spoke last week with Sue Zarubin, current president of Mesquite Republican Women organization.

Zarubin explained that, throughout Nevada’s history, the two major parties have always chosen their presidential candidates using the caucus method. But in 2021, a Democrat-led state legislature passed a law requiring a state-run presidential primary election to be held.

The state GOP was not at all happy with this. “The Republicans took it to court,” Zarubin said. “They argued, ‘Hey! That’s not right! The law says that it is up to the party to decide how we choose our presidential candidate; and we want to do a caucus!’”

In the end, the judge ruled that the GOP should be allowed to hold its caucus. But, at the same time, the new law required a state primary election to be held on Feb. 6, Zarubin said.
“So we are going to have both,” Zarubin said.

She explained that all of the possible candidates have been notified that Nevada’s GOP caucus would be the binding vote. The candidates still had their choice to participate in the PPP if they wanted. But they couldn’t do both that and the caucus.

“To tell you the truth, I don’t know why some of the candidates chose to participate in the state-run election,” Zarubin said. “Because yes, they can run and they can get votes there, but it won’t count towards becoming the presidential candidate at the national convention.”

The only remaining mainstream candidate left running on the PPP ballot for Republicans is Nikki Haley. But she will not be an option at the caucus.

Donald Trump, the other major candidates still in the race, will appear on the caucus ballot. But you won’t find him on the PPP ballot.

The next big question a lot of local Republicans are asking about the caucus is ‘Where?’ and ‘When?’
For Republicans in Mesquite, the caucus will be held on Thursday, Feb. 8 at Virgin Valley High School from 5 to 7:30 pm.

GOP voters in the precincts 0f Bunkerville, Logandale, Moapa and Overton will all be caucusing at Moapa Valley High School; also from 5 to 7:30 pm.

Caucus voters will be required to show photo IDs at the door in order to participate. In addition, they must have been registered as a Republican by January 8, 2024.

At each local high school, several tables will be set up: one for each voting precinct. At these tables, voters will be given a paper ballot to complete their vote.

For many people, the caucus can be as simple as just casting their paper ballot and leaving. That is fine.

But there will be more going on that night, Zarubin said. “At a caucus, anyone can campaign for their candidate,” she explained. “So that is a possibility; people can try to gain support for their candidate and convince others to caucus for that candidate. People are certainly welcome to join in all of those discussions.”

Finally, if they wish, attendees can stay to the bitter end and watch as all the votes are counted. “Then they can see exactly how each precinct decided,” Zarubin said.

So what is the answer to the really big question: “caucus or primary?” Well that is up to the individual voter. But rest assured, it doesn’t have to be just one or the other. Republican voters are welcome to participate in both.

Registered party members can vote in the PPP on Feb. 6. Then they can also participate in the caucus on Feb. 8 if they wish.

For more information about the caucus, visit https://clarkcountyrepublicanparty.com/.

For information about the PPP election, visit www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/vote.