When the smoke all clears, we will be reviewing the vote counts from the Nevada Caucus as if it was a legitimate election. But the buzz on Twitter from people on the ground suggests that it is anything but.
For some background, Nevada politics is amazingly crooked, to the point that one might criticize The Godfather movies for having an unduly naive picture of the state’s political culture. Former GOP Governor Jim Gibbons lost in a primary in 2010 under a cloud of ethical and sexual improprieties. Democratic former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid – a major recipient of Donald Trump’s donations – made a fortune in public office due to his many corruptions. Even John Ensign, a Republican Senator with a distinguished record, left office under a cloud of sex scandal. The Nevada Caucus, a new creature since 2008, already has a significant history of shenanigans and mischief. The process is so subject to abuse that even the Democrats were warning of possible illegalities in advance of their caucus on Saturday.
Anyway, there were hopes that tonight might be a good night for Ted Cruz, as his famously effective grassroots organizing effort took flight in a caucus that featured the highest number of “very conservative” voters in the 2008 and 2012 primaries; or that it could be a good night for Marco Rubio, a onetime Nevada resident and youthful member for a few years of the influential Mormon church. But before we get any vote totals, those hopes are already dashed by reports of a chaotic caucus process apparently run by one of Las Vegas’ largest employers, Donald Trump.
I can’t vouch for any of these reports from the scene, but numerous people on the ground have been Tweeting accounts and photos of a process in which IDs are not being checked, people are voting multiple times, and the vote-counters are wearing Trump campaign gear:
wtf is going on in Nevada pic.twitter.com/U0KzR9gxM1
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) February 24, 2016
Here’s a screenshot of a photo from caucus-goer. Ballot collector wearing Trump cap and shirt: pic.twitter.com/7JaBljotv6
— Elaina Plott (@elainaplott) February 24, 2016
Trump supporter working the precinct in Sun Valley. #nvgopcaucus pic.twitter.com/xM4OPkGjZr
— Anjeanette Damon (@AnjeanetteDamon) February 24, 2016
@MarcACaputo there are at least 7 at my location. pic.twitter.com/m0gQQCHrAe
— Letty Burgin (@LettyBurgin) February 24, 2016
@MarcACaputo poll workers. pic.twitter.com/if7Hkk51E1
— Letty Burgin (@LettyBurgin) February 24, 2016
@MarcACaputo pic.twitter.com/7gX423lLpJ
— Letty Burgin (@LettyBurgin) February 24, 2016
Not one but two ballot collectors wearing TRUMP t-shirts at this caucus site in Vegas. pic.twitter.com/DgwyL6eNpL
— Richard Wolffe (@richardwolffedc) February 24, 2016
[I’m leaving this open for other RS Contributors to add to this below as more word comes in]
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