Clinton appears this year to be emulating Obama’s game plan for Nebraska. She already has visited the state once, appearing in Omaha in early January with billionaire investor Warren Buffett.

“The caucus is a good bouncing-off point to building an organization, like we did in 2008,” said John Berge, a Scottsbluff Democrat who ran Obama’s operation in Nebraska that year. Picking up an electoral vote in Nebraska for the first time since 1964 was a proud moment for the state’s Democrats, he said.

A caucus is, by its very nature, a messier affair than an election. There are no ballots or ballot booths. Caucusgoers gather in groups by presidential preference and are tallied by party officials. That sounds easy — until you have thousands flooding into one caucus site.

Powers, the state chairman, said the party is preparing for more people this time, with more caucus sites and more volunteers. Nebraska Democrats have checked with their counterparts in Iowa to try to learn both the pitfalls and best practices for holding a caucus. They’ve also reached out to both Sanders’ and Clinton’s campaigns, asking for guidance.