As the calendar prepares to turn to February and the remaining Republican presidential candidates move on from the early-nomination states of Iowa and New Hampshire, Nevada — not South Carolina — is next on the agenda.
Former President Donald J. Trump will campaign in Las Vegas on Saturday, while Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, has so far ignored the state. In a confusing and complicated process, the two candidates will not appear on the same ballot in Nevada.
Here’s what you need to know about Nevada’s upcoming nominating contests.
When are the Nevada primaries and caucuses? How can I vote?
Nevada’s statewide primary will be held on Tuesday, February 6. Early in-person voting begins Saturday, Jan. 27 and runs through Friday, Feb. 2, according to the Nevada Secretary of State’s office. In-person polls will also be open on the day of the primary, although voters can choose to vote by mail. All registered voters received a ballot by mail.
Meanwhile, the Nevada Republican Party has chosen to hold a party-run caucus on Thursday, Feb. 8, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Republicans can look up their district locations online, but the caucus itself is entirely in person. A valid government ID is required to vote.
Why does Nevada have both a primary and a caucus?
Nevada has been running a caucus for decades. However, in 2021, the state passed a law replacing the caucus with a primary, largely due to flaws in the reporting process for the 2020 Democratic caucus.
Republicans opposed the new system, including the mail-in voting process, and decided to hold a caucus after unsuccessfully suing to throw out the primaries. The state party decided that only the caucus results — and not those of the primaries — would determine the allocation of delegates counted in the nominating process.
The state party also said any candidate who chose to run in the primary would be ineligible for its caucus, meaning presidential hopefuls had to choose which race to run in.
Republican voters can vote in both the primary and general election if they choose.
Upset? You are not alone. Even Nevada’s Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, criticized the process, saying in a local news interview last year that it would be “detrimental to candidates” and “disenfranchise a number of voters.”
Who is on the ballot in each contest?
Ms. Haley has opted to appear on the primary ballot and is the only major Republican candidate left in the race to be on it. “None of these candidates” will be an option.
Mr. Trump was elected to join the caucus and is the only major candidate left in this contest. So while Ms. Haley is expected to win the primary, Mr. Trump is almost certain to take the House, picking up 26 delegates along the way. Regardless of the outcome of any contest, Ms. Haley will win none.
Critics of the split system of congressional primaries said it was designed to benefit Mr. Trump, who has close ties to the Nevada Republican Party. Prominent political analysts and Mr Trump’s opponents have suggested the process was “rigged” for the former president.
But Ms. Haley could have chosen to fight Mr. Trump for delegates by appearing on the caucus ballot, and the state party has denied creating the caucus to benefit him.
What about the Democrats?
The Nevada Democratic Party will hold an election, primary, on the same day as the Nevada Republicans, on February 6th. President Biden will appear on the ballot, as will self-help author Marian Williamson. Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, another of Mr. Biden’s long-term challengers, chose not to run in Nevada.
Nevada has a closed primary system — Democrats can only vote in the Democratic primary and Republicans can only vote in the Republican primary. Independent or nonpartisan voters cannot vote in any of the primaries unless they choose a party during early voting or on Election Day. To join the Republican caucus, voters had to be registered as Republicans in Nevada by Jan. 9.
