Caucuses receive dismal reaction from local voters
by Michelle Zewin, mzewin@dailysparkstribune.com
Jan 21, 2008 | 213 views | 0 0 comments | 19 19 recommendations | email to a friend | print
The highly anticipated Nevada caucuses have ended and the results are in — they were just as confusing and disorderly as many expected.

After counting all the bodies in the Sparks Middle School gymnasium twice and getting different numbers, the participants decided to leave the bleachers and line up to make the process easier.

After determining that there were 127 people in the room from precinct 6202, the voters divided into their respective groups on the bleachers. Obama supporters here, Clinton supporters there, everybody else in between.

Unfortunately for those in between, they did not make up 15 percent of the total people in attendance and were therefore considered not viable and had the option of choosing another candidate.

“This caucus system is awful,” John Edwards supporter Cathy Retterer said after having to change her vote. “It disenfranchises people.”

Retterer added that many people are working and cannot make the caucus because of its short time frame whereas with primaries they have several hours to cast their vote.

“Democracy is based on participation and you should never have a system that stops that,” she said.

Once the not viable groups were determined, the Obama and Clinton groups had a feeding frenzy in trying to attract the voters to their groups. Loud cheers and applause came from the Obama corner after it picked up the vast majority of the not viable voters.

The final count would be 64 votes for Barack Obama giving him 5 delegates and 62 for Hillary Clinton leaving her with 4 delegates.

Even with the sharp divide the atmosphere was friendly. Barbara Pennington, a Clinton supporter, attended the caucus with her mother Ira Marshall, an Obama backer.

“I like Obama, too; he just doesn’t have much experience,” Pennington said. “In eight years I’d vote for him, 100 percent.”

And Marshall isn’t against Clinton either, but said she believed it’s time for a black man to be president.

“A black man should have a chance,” she said. “He’s a bright young man with new ideas.”

Even though there were a few hiccups with the caucus and debates on whether it is the best system to use, not everyone opposed it.

“It’s a much more personal process because you get together with your friends and neighbors in your community,” voter Nick Pearson said.

For Anji Moon, the caucus is a better system because those in attendance can see with their own eyes the effect their vote has.

“The largest impact on me was seeing in action how one vote truly does make a difference,” she said.

But Arlene Williams didn’t feel the pros of a caucus outweigh the cons.

“It’s very complicated,” she said. “Either simplify it or go to a primary system. Nevada is getting very big and primaries will probably work better.”

Retterer said one reason the caucus may stick around even if it's unpopular is because the parties pay for it whereas the state would have to pay for a primary.

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