GOP fixing caucus location mistakes

The Nevada Republican Party and the campaigns of Republican candidates are racing against time to make sure Republican voters know where to go for Saturday morning's precinct caucuses.

Precincts in Carson City, Lyon and Storey counties are among the places that have had to make last-minute changes in caucus locations - late Wednesday for Carson City.

At the same time, the caucus locator on the state GOP's Web site was providing incorrect locations to voters who entered their name and address.

Incorrect caucus locations were also on a a number of the cards mailed to Republican voters throughout the state.

Robert Uithoven, of the John McCain campaign, said the errors will affect all the GOP campaigns and further complicate efforts to get a good turnout.

"It's like when you go to a football stadium and there's snow and sleet," he said. "It doesn't just affect one player. It's going to affect both teams."

Ryan Erwin of the Mitt Romney campaign said, "It affects us probably more than anybody else because we have more identified voters than everyone else and we've got to go make sure every one of our voters knows where to go."

Erwin said the real impact is that, "instead of being able to go after additional undecided voters in the last two days, we have to focus on the ones we have and make sure they show up at the right place."

But Jeff Greenspan, Ron Paul's regional coordinator, said he thinks the problem is serious enough that the party ought to consider postponing caucuses. The campaign issued a statement saying thousands of Paul supporters had received bad information and that two days isn't really enough time to make sure all Republican voters know where to go.

Party spokesman Steve Wark said a number of precinct numbers in Washoe County are identical to those in Clark County, so a number of voters in Reno and Sparks were told by the Web site caucus locator to attend locations in Las Vegas.

Wark said he doubted many of the voters were that confused.

"I would hope responsible adults, when they put in their numbers from Reno would, when a Clark County caucus location came up, know that's not right and call the party to get the right location," he said.

"If people have ulterior motives, then, of course, you make mountains out of molehills," he said. "It's coming from a small handful of people."

He said the process has been "fairly smooth" in Clark County and that Washoe County is fixing the glitches there.

"Everybody's working together to make it happen."

As for last-minute changes to caucus locations, he said there were a number of different reasons.

In Wednesday's change from the Nevada Room at the Governor's Mansion, he said it was communication problems between the county and state party. The state party thought everything had been taken care of to reserve the room.

It turned out it hadn't and the Nevada Room wasn't available.

The location was moved to the Carson City Senior Citizens Center, which the party officials say is larger and, therefore, a better space anyway.

He said the party is working out the bugs but that they are to be expected.

"When you're attempting to do something you haven't done in 20 years, there's a certain amount of reinventing the wheel that has to go on," he said, referring to the Nevada presidential preference primary that ceased to exist years ago.

Wark said the Web site caucus locator has been fixed and efforts are being made to make sure every Republican knows where to go Saturday.



• Contact reporter Geoff Dornan at gdornan@nevadaappeal.com or 687-8750.



Campaign calendar

Sen. HILLARY CLINTON

• 12:30 p.m. today, Sen. Clinton hosts a "Delivering Real Change Rally" at the Elko Indian Colony Gym, 2250 Indian View Heights Drive.

• 4 p.m. today, Sen. Clinton hosts a rally at the Silver State Pavilion, Grand Sierra Resort, Reno.



Rep. Dennis Kucinich

• 5 p.m. today, rally to protest Kucinich's exclusion from the MSNBC debate on Tuesday. Go to the corner of McCarran Boulevard and South Virginia Street in Reno.

• 7 p.m. today, Kucinich's wife, Elizabeth, will speak in the Great Room of the New Student Union at the University of Nevada, Reno.



Sen. Barack Obama

• 8:15 a.m. today, University of Nevada, Reno's Virginia Street Gymnasium, 1664 N. Virginia St., Reno. The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so an RSVP is strongly encouraged. RSVP at http://nevada.barackobama.com/SFCreno.

• 2:30 p.m. today, "Stand for Change Town Hall" meeting at Elko High School, 987 College Ave.



Rep. Duncan Hunter

• 9 a.m. today, Veterans Guest House, 880 Locust St., across from the VA Medical Center.

• Noon today, Town Hall caucus kick off at the Carson City Senior Citizens Center, 911 Beverly Drive.

• 6-8 p.m. today, Town Hall caucus kick off in the West Wing Convention Center, third floor, Harrah's Reno. All registered GOP voters and Hunter supporters are invited.