GOP push to end Nevada presidential caucus system dies on deadline

CARSON CITY — One casualty of the 2015 legislative session was a GOP-supported bill that would have allowed political parties to end Nevada’s presidential caucus system and switch to a secret-ballot primary.

The bill died Monday, when the Assembly didn’t bring it forward for a vote before the midnight deadline when the session ended.

Senate Bill 421 would have given political parties the choice to have a presidential preference primary election on the last Tuesday in February. But the primaries for state and local races would have remained in June. The bill would have allowed a political party to opt out and use the caucus system instead.

Republicans had argued that the change would preserve the state’s early role in the presidential selection process and boost voter participation. The change would have weakened the influence of grass-roots party activists who are more motivated to turn out for precinct caucuses and in recent years have gained control of the state Republican Party.

Under the bill, the state would have covered the costs of a primary, pegged at about $500,000 statewide for a single party primary.

Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter: @BenBotkin1.