Democrats in Nevada will caucus for their chosen candidates on Saturday, in the third and “first-in-the-west” primary contest. Nevada is the most diverse state to vote so far, so the results will be closely watched to determine how candidates perform in an electorate more representative of Democratic voters.

Following the chaos surrounding the Iowa caucuses, Nevada Democratic party officials have decided to abandon the same app for a combination of Google forms and scannable paper ballots as a backup. Caucus proceedings will begin at noon PT, and results should arrive a few hours after that.

What is a caucus and how is it different from a primary?

Most US states hold primary elections, in which voters go to a polling place, mail in their ballots or otherwise vote remotely. But a handful of states hold caucuses – complicated, hours-long meetings, which continue until one candidate emerges as victor. And the process is different for Democrats and Republicans.

How do the Democratic caucuses work and why are they important?

Democrats in Nevada caucus in much the same way as Democrats in Iowa. Nevadans aged 18 and over who are registered with the party will gather in caucus venues such as school gyms and churches in their designated precinct. They start voting publicly at 12pm PT (3pm ET) by splitting into groups based on their preferred candidate.



Voters have to go and stand in the area where their candidate is represented. So Joe Biden supporters would be in one corner, Elizabeth Warren in another and Bernie Sanders supporters in another. Everyone is tallied.

If a particular candidate does not attract 15% of total voters present, they are taken off the ballot, and their voters are free to throw their weight behind another candidate.



Once voting is over at a caucus site, the support for viable candidates (those with more than 15% of the votes) is translated into a number of “state delegate equivalents”. That result is used to calculate the number of national delegates each candidate receives. National delegates eventually choose the nominee at the Democratic convention in July.



On the night of the caucuses, the candidate with the most SDEs is considered the winner.