Big turnout, slim staffing blamed for long lines on first day of early caucusing in Reno

Early caucusing got off to a slow start Saturday in Northern Nevada, with long lines frustrating Democratic voters at several precincts in Reno and Sparks.

A lack of volunteers and the introduction of new iPad technology was blamed for stalling foot traffic at more than half of the polling places open on the first day of early voting in the state’s crucial presidential nominating contest.

That includes Washoe County Democratic headquarters — the first voting location to open in the county this weekend.

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Caucusgoers there reported waiting more than an hour to cast a ballot as three precinct volunteers frantically juggled six iPads used to check voters in and confirm their status as a registered Democrat.

Precinct volunteers said that process was taking up to 10 minutes per voter, which came as discouraging news to several dozen party faithful patiently waiting outside in 40-degree temperatures.

Within an hour of the polls opening, some clearly exasperated caucusgoers started to peel off and head back to their cars. Others called on members of the media to cut through the line and report back on likely wait times.

Still others, like Reno retiree Duke Vermazen, simply had no choice but to wait it out.

“It’s taken longer than I expected,” Vermazen told the Reno Gazette Journal. “But I can't wait until later, so I have to get it done today.

“It’s not discouraging to me, but I’m afraid if I tell my friends how it went, they might be discouraged.”

Voters offered similar accounts at the Sparks Library, as four volunteers wielding four iPads scrambled to move a line of at least 300 people packed in the aisles between bookshelves.

Many reported waiting more than hour to cast a ballot, even after watching whole groups of caucusgoers abandon their place in line.

Several could be overheard grumbling about the need for state party officials to ditch the caucus in favor of a more traditional primary.

“I’ve been here an hour and 15 minutes,” said Denise St. John, a retired behavioral analyst from Sparks. “I don’t think they expected this kind of turnout, so they’re a little understaffed.”

Things seemed to be going somewhat smoother at the University of Nevada, Reno, where caucus organizers were armed with the same number of iPads, but perhaps twice as many volunteers.

Karen McClenahan, an-ex Republican participating in her first Democratic caucus, said long lines at Washoe Democrats’ headquarters prompted her to drive out to the UNR precinct. She said she had waited a mere 10 minutes before nearing the front of the line on campus.

That should offer some solace to on-site organizers who had earlier convened in the aptly named “Blue Fish Bowl” room for a tense-sounding conference call with the Nevada State Democratic Party.

On the call, state Democratic officials advised precinct volunteers to “go slow” and avoid mistakes, even if that meant adding to the long lines forming outside.

The guidance offered eerie echoes of early reports out of Iowa’s tech-troubled caucus, where state party officials’ blamed widespread delays on “quality control” measures needed to double-check voting results.

It later emerged that most of the hold-up was caused by a glitchy vote-tallying software downloaded to precinct volunteers’ cell phones.

Nevada Democrats have taken several steps to avoid a similar debacle, including dropping plans to use the same software developer hired in Iowa.

Officials instead opted for a mostly pen-and-paper method to report results, but retained plans to use party-purchased iPads meant to help volunteers with complicated caucus delegate math and voter check-ins.

Early caucusing in Nevada continues through Feb. 18 at any one of 80 locations around the state. In-person caucusing is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on Feb. 22. Nevada’s closed caucus system is open to registered Democrats who will be over the age of 18 by Nov. 3.

For more information, and a full list of voting locations, visit caucus.nvdems.com.

James DeHaven is the politics reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal. He covers campaigns, the Nevada Legislature and everything in between. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.