Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said he can’t compare voter turnout from the primary to prior presidential elections since the parties have used caucuses previously.
Sondra Cosgrove, a College of Southern Nevada history professor, called the turnout dismal. She said competition gets people excited, and voters feel that the parties have already determined the nominees.
“We kind of think about this because we live in a capitalist country, that competition is a good thing. We want two products to be able to compare and contrast,” Cosgrove said. “If it’s just one, are we sure that that’s actually the best one? It’s the same in politics.”
Cosgrove, who is very active in civic education, also heard from upset older voters who support former president Donald Trump, but don’t feel like they can make it to the caucus.
“They don’t have transportation. They’re afraid to drive in the snow or drive in the rain. They have a disability and didn’t know how long they would have to be at the caucus place,” Cosgrove said.
Trump is facing lesser-known candidate Ryan Binkley at the caucus. While former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley was on the primary ballot.
The Associated Press quickly called the race after polls closed – “none of these candidates” beat Haley.
“We’re basically flipping the bird and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m super mad, and I’m gonna tell you off when I fill out my ballot,’” Cosgrove said.
According to the results so far, Haley received roughly 30% of the vote or less in 16 out of 17 counties. But in Washoe County, she received around 40%.
“There’s a lot of business-minded Republicans, kind of the Reagan Republicans, that tend to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal,” Cosgrove said. “They don’t like volatility. And I think to them, Nikki Haley represents more of a stable person than Trump does.”
Even though the caucus hasn’t happened yet, it’s all but guaranteed Trump will receive Nevada’s 26 Republican delegates without much of a competition. Cosgrove said this could have impacts on Nevada’s place on the nominating calendar.
“If it keeps unfolding the way it is, it’s going to make Nevada look inconsequential.”
Following the low turnout, Cosgrove is now turning her attention to getting voters excited about the June primary for state and local races.
