Democrats Approve Early Voting Plan for 2020 Nevada Caucus

WASHINGTON – The Democratic National Committee has signed off on a plan that will allow Nevada to offer the first-ever early voting option for a presidential caucus.

During a press briefing on Monday, DNC Chairman Tom Perez and Nevada party chairman William McCurdy II, said the party will offer four days of early voting, Feb, 15-18.

The early results will be kept confidential until vote totals are released from the state’s main caucuses on Feb. 22, they said.

In addition, on Feb. 22, Nevada Democrats will release raw vote totals from the caucus and offer multilingual preference cards to voters.

Multilingual training materials will also be available for caucus workers who, in another first, will use an app rather than paper to transmit results to party officials.

“The primary goal in crafting this plan was to ensure as many Nevada Democrats as possible are given the opportunity to make their voice heard and I believe we will do that in 2020,” McCurdy said in a statement. “Nevada plays a critical role in the presidential primary and we take our role as an early state incredibly serious.”

The changes come as the DNC is encouraging state parties to either find ways of allowing greater participation in caucuses or switch to primaries.

Traditional caucuses require voters show up in person at neighborhood sites at a specific time and break into groups to demonstrate their support for their chosen candidate.

Critics have said the format is difficult for people to participate in, especially if they’re homebound, have to work or have young children.

“I am so proud of the work NV Dems have accomplished on behalf of all Nevada Democrats,” Perez said. “That hard work has resulted in the opportunity for unprecedented participation. The addition of early voting, multilingual preference cards, and training materials guarantees more Nevadans will have access to the caucus than ever before. These reforms will help lay the foundation to win in 2020, defeat Donald Trump, and build a more inclusive electorate.”