Home Subscribe Las Vegas Review-Journal
  Jobs Cars Homes Shopping Travel Weddings Golf Best of Las Vegas Photo   Search:

RECENT EDITIONS
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Opinion
Jan. 22, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

LETTERS: Next time, Nevada should try a primary

To the editor:

Nevada needs to drop the caucus method of candidate selection in favor of a winner-take-all presidential primary.

Forget the issue that Sen. Barack Obama claims victory in the delegate count despite Sen. Hillary Clinton's win in the popular vote. We played that game in 2000. The issue is what happened to all those people wanting to take part in the process Saturday, but who worked in off-Strip properties or couldn't take off work -- police, firefighters, medical professionals, sales clerks, etc. Politicians talk about inclusion, but the caucus was a glaring example that talk is exactly what it was.

There was a small window in which to participate and a number of hours needed to have your voice heard. I was involved in the 1988 caucus because I had the day off. It was easy and simple, but we have changed. We are not the small community we once were.

Most Popular Stories
  • SHERMAN FREDERICK: Hillary's best hope: racism
  • J.C. WATTS: Your side, my side and the truth
  • J.C. WATTS: Social conservatives still a political force
  • JOHN BRUMMETT: It's the worst of all worlds for the DemocratsCommentary
  • EDITORIAL: Billing Mrs. Fossett
  • EDITORIAL: Just 'trust our incumbent senators'
  • LETTERS: Tipping 'expert' a total cheapskate
  • ERIN NEFF: They just figured it was a lingerie supplier
  • LETTERS: Judge gave drunken driver a wrist slap
  • LETTERS: If you follow orders, no one gets hurt



    • A winner-take-all primary allows for a 12-hour voting period, early voting and absentee voting. If Nevada, especially Las Vegas, prides itself on being a player on the national stage, then it's time to operate like a national player. A caucus no longer works for a state with a burgeoning population.

    Let everyone be heard.

    charles mcCarty

    LAS VEGAS

    Not democratic

    To the editor:

    I feel like moving back to the state where I used to live just so my vote will be counted. I now know what it feels like to be disenfranchised and disillusioned.

    If Nevada has another presidential caucus, I won't participate. My precinct location (the Rainbow Library) was stacked in favor of Hillary Clinton before anybody arrived. Many of the precinct workers wore Hillary T-shirts. Sen. Clinton's sign was on a wall by itself. John Edwards, Sen. Joe Biden and Rep. Dennis Kucinich shared another wall, though Sen. Biden's name was completely hidden by a projector screen accidentally lowered during introductions, and the space allotted for Sen. Biden and Rep. Kucinich was occupied by a large grand piano. Sen. Barack Obama, "uncommitted" and "observers" shared a third wall. There wasn't a fourth wall, as the other half of the room was being used by another precinct.

    All the chairs in the room were placed under Sen. Clinton's sign. If you supported anybody else, you could stand or sit on the floor. Very democratic.

    Why, in this age of instant communication, are we still attached to archaic methods such as the caucus and the Electoral College? Why can't we vote by mail? Enclose a coupon for the election in the utility bill? Or vote by e-mail? Better still, let's just text message our vote: 1111 for Clinton. 5555 for Mitt Romney, 911 for Rudy Giuliani, etc.

    Andrew Steiner

    LAS VEGAS

    Not good

    To the editor:

    I just returned from the Nevada caucus and felt the need to share my thoughts on the process. When I moved here from New York, I registered in a political party with the idea that I wanted to vote in a primary, not a caucus. Because my only choice as a Nevada resident was to caucus, that is what I did.

    How they got any accurate vote is anyone's guess. After putting us in groups based on our choice of political candidate and precinct, they counted heads. After awhile they allowed us to cast a paper ballot. Those people who were not registered to vote with the political party did not have an official ballot. These people used a single slip of paper without their name or precinct on it. Were they counted?

    Parking was an issue. Many people had to walk a great distance from the actual building holding the caucus. Fortunately for me, I found a handicapped spot for my car. Had this not been available I would have gone home without voting. There is no way I could have walked the distance, or up the hill that many individuals had to walk.

    Throughout the process, my anger at having my friends and neighbors know how I was voting kept irritating me. Whom you vote for is a private matter. I hope Nevada reconsiders and brings back a primary.

    Primaries allow anyone who wishes to vote, usually over a 12-hour period. Many people were excluded because they were working, had other obligations during that time frame or had religious reasons.

    All in all, Saturday's presidential caucus was not a good experience for me.

    Judith Corman

    HENDERSON

    Links powered by inform.com


    Leave Your Comment 27 Reader Comments
    Terms & Conditions
    The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The reviewjournal.com does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please notify the web editor.

    Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 48 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
    Current Word Count:

    Martel wrote on January 22, 2008 07:19 PM: I attended the Republican Caucus and despite not knowing what to expect I found the process simple, dignified and the people respectful. We elected precinct delegates and used private paper ballots to indicate our choice of candidate. We were out by 9:40 AM.
    Later as I watched the chaos, vitriol and mob mentality of the democratic caucuses on TV, and heard the whining and complaining, it only reinforced in my mind the correctness of my party choice.


    LM wrote on January 22, 2008 07:09 PM: Why is it that I get phone calls from a political party that I am not affiliated with? How come my party didn't call me? I do not beleive a caucus is the answer lets just have a primary get over it quickly then all the phone calls would not be nessasary> I truly beleive that most people got tired of the late night calls and early morning calls made by either computers or humans. Further more just leave me alone I will vote for whom I want to not who everyone else wants me to vote for.


    Loucinda Stevens wrote on January 22, 2008 06:43 PM: I did not go to the caucus because it was on Saturday and I keep the Jewish Sabbath. Many thousands of tourist industry workers did not caucus because they were catering to the needs of those guests that are the backbone of our state economy. The vast majority of strip workers couldn't leave their stations to caucus as it would threaten their livelyhood. We need a new system.


    Tim wrote on January 22, 2008 06:14 PM: those not registered to vote judith said?i wonder who those were? illegals maybe? i agree with mr.mccarty, do it like the primaries and dump the caucus.


    jb wrote on January 22, 2008 05:57 PM: Thank you TimeRanger and Publius. I should be able to vote when I want and for who I want regardless of my party affiliation. I refuse to declare a party because I believe in voting for a candidate based on their qualifications


    -D wrote on January 22, 2008 03:21 PM: If any of you are interested in the facts then you really ought to be aware that the caucus did not take the place of the primary. The primary for the state of Nevada is August 12, 2008. Check out page 12 of the calendar from the state website:
    http://sos.state.nv.us/elections/nvelection/pdf/2008ElectionCalendar.pdf


    Publius wrote on January 22, 2008 02:16 PM: TimeRanger-

    I agree with you, but why not go one step further and eliminate this silly nomination process altogether? Why wouldn't all contestants-er,I mean candidates-run right down to the wire? Survival of the fittest,like some ridiculous reality show? Maybe a lot more independents would get involved because the incestuous relationship of media/political party would be taken out of the equation.


    jl wrote on January 22, 2008 12:12 PM: I made an error as to the last caucus was 2004, of course!


    jl wrote on January 22, 2008 12:11 PM: My comment is to John Kraft. Actually, you're incorrect. Caucuses are paid for by the Democratic and Republican parties and primaries are paid for by the local governments. So if you want a primary, prepare to pay for one. From reading the comments before and after the caucuses, people would think this is the first time a caucus was held here. Caucuses have been held in Nevada at least since the 1960's. I even participated in the last one in 2006. Yes, there was a caucus. This is the first election cycle it was moved up to make Nevada a first-in-the West state giving Nevada more influence over the national results.

    I agree that the caucuses were for the most part poorly organized. However, if chairs weren't set up, there was no one to sign you in, this is your fault for not volunteering to act in your candidate's best interests. No one in your precinct elected to be a precinct captain. That's not the candidate's fault except that the candidate may have failed to strike a chord in your precinct with voters enough for voters to volunteer.

    Caucuses should be a great way to get involved and stand up for issues and candidates people feel strongly about. I'm sorry that it wasn't better run.


    TimeRanger wrote on January 22, 2008 11:38 AM: My question - Why should a person have to be registered with a political party to caucus? The political and/or ideological differences between the parties got homogenized in the mud a LONG time ago, and I vote for the person that I believe will do the best job for the citizenry - regardless of his/her political affiliation


    Read All Comments