RENO, Nev. – With its 24-hour casino gambling, legalized prostitution and drive-through wedding chapels, Nevada seems anything but conventional. When it comes to voting in presidential elections, it’s as mainstream as it gets.
Nevada hasn’t made much of a difference in selecting the nominee for president or on national politics in general. State officials are hoping that Saturday’s Republican caucuses change that.
Despite its renegade image, some analysts think Nevada is more representative of the U.S. than other early voting states because of its diverse population. While two-thirds of its population is white, 26.5 percent is Hispanic, 8.1 percent is black and 7.2 percent is Asian. The state does have a large Mormon population, which is expected to help Mitt Romney, a member of the church.
Faced with poor turnout and high costs for its presidential primary in 1996, Nevada moved to a caucus system with voting in March. Candidates began paying more attention in 2000 after the state became a battleground and a major source of campaign contributions, particularly from Las Vegas casino moguls such as Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson.
Still, caucus attendance remained sparse until 2008. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid persuaded his fellow Nevada Democrats to move the voting to
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