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Nevada GOP leaders reject same-day registration for caucus
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LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Updated: Sep. 28, 2011 | 7:57 a.m.
Nevada Republican Party leaders have agreed not to allow same-day voter registration for the Feb. 18 presidential caucuses after tea party members complained the process could be corrupted by Democrats and even "elitist, calculating Republicans."
State party Chairwoman Amy Tarkanian planned to submit the caucus rules to the Republican National Committee this week to meet a Saturday deadline after removing the objectionable provision. It would have allowed Nevadans to register as Republicans and in turn participate the same day in the caucuses, an early step in selecting the GOP nominee for president.
"Many Republicans were afraid that same-day registration would turn this into a real mess," Heidi Smith, a Republican national committeewoman in Nevada, said Tuesday. "We're thinking of just registering as many people as we can in the weeks ahead of the caucuses instead."
Republican leaders had wanted to hold same-day registration to help expand GOP numbers in the run-up to Election Day 2012. The goal is to give the party's candidates a boost up and down the ticket -- from the White House race to the U.S. Senate, House and legislative contests.
That's what the Democratic Party successfully did in 2008. It registered 30,000 voters on caucus day when more than 110,000 participated, setting the stage for a big win by President Barack Obama.
In contrast, the GOP presidential caucuses in 2008 involved 44,000 people. Republicans hope to increase participation in 2012 to at least 75,000 people and use the party event to catch up to Democrats, who now outnumber Republicans in Nevada by about 67,000 registered voters.
In July, newly elected Tarkanian led a GOP executive committee meeting that voted to hold a same-day registration caucus. She had discussed her desire to mimic the Democratic model, including in a July speech to the Nevada Republican Men's Club in Las Vegas.
But as the Oct. 1 RNC deadline approached, members of the tea party movement who learned of the same-day registration decision strongly objected. They accused Tarkanian and other party leaders of secretly approving the plan to satisfy the national party and GOP candidates, including presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.
The issue came to a head over the weekend. Jeri Taylor-Swade and Laurel Fee, the leaders TRUNC -- Tea Party & Republicans Uniting Nevada Conservatives -- blasted Tarkanian and the party.
"This is a wide open door to massive voting fraud and disruption of the Republican process by Democrat-controlled Acorn type organizations and elitist, calculating Republicans wishing to control the election outcome in our important swing state," TRUNC said in a news release.
After listening to the conservative movement's concerns over several days, Tarkanian called a Saturday teleconference of the GOP executive committee. The panel members agreed to drop the same-day registration rule and discuss it at its open Oct. 22 meeting.
"It is my hope that once the matter is settled, we can move on together to create a presidential caucus that will be the envy of the nation," Tarkanian said in a statement Saturday to members of the Nevada Republican Party Central Committee.
If the GOP executive committee reverses itself again on Oct. 22, the state party could ask the RNC to accept revised rules to allow same-day registration after all, GOP officials said. But several Republican insiders said they doubt tea party members will drop objections, and some other GOP members are wary, too, because the Republican Party has long objected to same-day registration for regular elections.
In addition, it's not easy to revise caucus rules after a plan is submitted to the RNC. If it is considered a "material change," another state could object and it would be subject to a vote.
"It will likely all just become moot," one GOP insider said.
Taylor-Swade and Fee said they talked with Tarkanian on Tuesday, and she assured them the same-day registration rule would be removed, which a GOP official confirmed. She also invited them to present arguments spelling out their concerns during the Oct. 22 meeting in Las Vegas.
"We aren't upset with Amy. We helped get her elected," Taylor-Swade said. "This is all about making sure it's we the people who decide, the grass-roots folks, not a small group of party leaders."
Taylor-Swade worked on Sharron Angle's failed 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. Angle lost to U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who built the Nevada Democratic Party into a successful election machine.
Contact Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919.
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what a joke. Benefits Romney? That is laughable. You are afraid Ron Paul supporters will come out in droves on the day of. I am finding the registration process overly cumbersome and labor intensive. I know a lot of RP supporters who will abandon the process as they are busy tending to their daily lives. COLLECT YOUR CHECK. You have served your special interests well.
Do you believe that the Nevada Republican Party should adopt same day registration to vote in the upcoming Presidential caucus?
To those of you who are making snide comments on this subject, and about Tea Party activists, I wish to enlighten you. Before further exposing your ignorance, educate yourselves by reading our NV GOP Platform. http://www.nevadagop.org/about-the-gop/2010-platform/
Pay close attention to the "Citizenship" Plank. It specifically states that: "We oppose same-day registration and voting. We demand proof of U.S. citizenship and residency at the time of registration and authentic government issued photo identification at the time of voting."
Unlike the Democratic Party, we have principles and standards. Their party is not having a Presidential Primary election, so they should not be given an invitation to do mischief, by interfering with Nevada's Republican Caucus.
Primary elections are held so that members of political parties may decide who will represent them as nominees. Those who care enough to participate in our Caucus, should also care enough to ensure they are properly registered to vote, and declare their party affiliation, by a given date. We do not hold them so that busloads of non-members can show up and register on the spot.
The NV GOP 2010 Platform was worked, reworked, debated, and approved by Central Committee members from every county in our state. It is not something that was established lightly, it is serious document which represents what our State Republican Party stands for.
To have arbitrarily decided that same-day voter registration would be permitted is in direct conflict with our platform.
I hope they nominate Christie, he will be tons of fun.
Ron Paul all the way.
But Democrats/GOP do NOT matter!! All that matters is GLASS STEAGALL. How do you know a traitor? If they do NOT back GLASS STEAGALL, then they are your enemy. Where is Reid on GLASS STEGALL? Where is Ron Paul on GLASS STEAGALL? Where is Nancy/Romney/McInsane on GLASS STEAGALL?? That's all we should be talking about!!
Lets be honest, the Nevada GOP is terrified of the Ron Paul people. They know what happened last time when they had to break the law to keep the Ron Paul delegates out of the process so the statists Romny and McInsane would have any chance.
Nancy, my guess is the DINO/RINOs didn't win this time and the Republicans did...The Republicans are not as suicidal as I thought...
When will the repub party become the repub. party and tell the TPers to just get their own party and stop high jacking the GOP???
1.) So on the day of the Republican caucus Democrats cross party lines and vote for the weakest Republican candidate.
2.) The day of the regular election the Unions buss in union members to the poles (voting booths maintained by SEIU members).
3.) People who moved away from Nevada and are still on the voter rolls take vacations to Las Vegas or Reno than vote using early voting (No ID is needed). Maybe even absentee voting is used.
4.) How many registered voters in Nevada are NOT U.S. citizens? O that's right, NO ID is needed to vote in Nevada.
THE ELECTION PROCESS IN NEVADA IS CORRUPT!
That's what the Democratic Party successfully did in 2008. It registered 30,000 voters on caucus day when more than 110,000 participated, setting the stage for a big win by President Barack Obama. The culinary union also went to all the hotels with buses and asked who was going to the caucus, but there was a catch if you were for clinton you could not get on the bus and go.....That is why obama won big...Just like the harry reid vote...interesting isnt it