Nevada State Democratic Party chairman William McCurdy II speaks at the Nevada Democratic Party's election results watch party on Nov. 6, 2018. Nevada Democrats are aiming to fix conflict points that plagued the state's 2016 caucuses. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images 2020 Elections Nevada Dems revamp caucuses after 2016 clashes The party is expanding early voting and virtual caucusing and changing rules at the center of conflict in 2016.

The Nevada State Democratic Party released new updates to its presidential caucus procedures, expanding to four days of in-person early voting and virtual caucuses as Democrats brace for record participation in the 2020 White House campaign.

Nevada Democrats, who have enjoyed critical early-state status since 2008, are aiming to boost voter turnout and fix conflict points that plagued the state's 2016 caucuses. Among the key revisions: The party will lock in delegates for 2020 candidates on Caucus Day instead of relying on an extended series of events — a shift from 2016, when Bernie Sanders supporters accused party leaders of stacking the extended process against them at the state convention, leading to raucous protests.


The Nevada Democratic caucuses will be held on a Saturday, February 22, next year, with four days of early voting during the preceding week, from February 15 to February 18. The party will also host two virtual caucuses on February 16 and 17, which will require pre-registration and voter identification. It's not yet clear how the party will host the virtual caucuses.

Nevada Democrats will not release any vote totals during early voting, instead holding onto those statistics until the close of Caucus Day. But the party will release the raw vote totals — a change from 2016, when the party only shared the delegates won in each precinct, not the vote totals.

Rather than assigning some pledged delegates during county or state conventions after the caucus, the party confirmed that it will allocate them on Caucus Day based on the caucus-level results. In 2016, Sanders supporters, angered over Hillary Clinton's delegate victory and alleged deceit in the caucus process, protested at the state party's convention, forcing the Paris Las Vegas hotel to shut down the event. Angry participants posted then-Nevada Democratic Party Chairwoman Roberta Lange's phone number online, after which she received death threats.

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Next year, state Democrats will also offer presidential preference cards in Tagalog to include the state's expanding Asian American and Pacific Islander community. The state already uses English and Spanish-language cards.

“The Nevada State Democratic Party is creating a uniquely Nevada caucus process--one that reflects how Nevadans vote and the communities we live in,” Nevada State Democratic Party chairman William McCurdy II said in a statement. “We’re working to execute a successful caucus that will help us maintain our competitive edge that led to historic Democratic gains in 2016 and 2018. Our new Delegate Selection Plan will ensure 2020 is Nevada’s most expansive and accessible caucus yet.”

The caucus plan is now available for public comment, and will be submitted to the Democratic National Committee on May 3.