MARK WAITE / PVT Pastor John Boyd, 2nd Missionary Baptist Church asks a campaign supporter what church Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D.-Ill., belongs to during a mock caucus at the Charleston Peak clubhouse last Tuesday. Advertisement

The principle of one man, one vote is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

But when it comes to the millions of dollars in fund-raising needed for the 2008 presidential campaign, it's essential a candidate can pull ahead of the pack in early battleground states like Nevada.

So residents of the Silver State, which has the slogan "Battle Born," are especially important in the upcoming campaign.

Pahrump residents are learning how to conduct a caucus, like the one planned for Jan. 19. The Barack Obama campaign held a mock version with about 40 people at the Charleston Peak clubhouse next to the Pahrump Valley Winery Tuesday night.

In the real thing, each precinct will have a set number of delegates, based on the number of registered Democratic Party voters in that precinct. The caucus will be called to order at 11:30 a.m. at locations in each precinct.

Nevada State Democratic Party workers will attempt to contact eligible caucus participants to get them to show up. A formula will be used to apportion delegates for the caucus. If the total number of Democrats in attendance does not exceed 400, the ratio will be five, meaning the vote of each caucus member for a candidate will be multiplied by five.

In this example, members of the public voted on the best buffet in Pahrump, instead of a candidate, as a drill.

In this case, the Pahrump Nugget received five delegates, the Saddle West two, while three delegates were elected who urged people to eat at home instead.

Obama campaign organizer Adrienne Lever said Nevada was formerly 46th in order of voting on the presidential candidates.

"Now we're going to be one of the early caucus states," Lever said, "which means the eyes of the nation are upon us."

Lever described the caucus process as a socially changing experience as well.

"People who lived here for 14 years, for example, who didn't know the Democrats down the street, are all of a sudden starting to know each other," she said.

The obviously partisan pro-Obama crowd Tuesday voiced different reasons the first-term U.S. senator from Illinois is the best chance for change from business as usual in Washington D.C.

"I met him at a household event in Las Vegas. He took the time, wading through the crowd, to listen to people," said Jack Wood.

"It's the big, multinational corporations that basically owns our government, including the Congress, including the White House," Wood said. "I'm a populist Democrat. What I hear here about someone that's going to represent you and me appeals to me."

Floyd Banks, who went to see Obama at Rancho High School in Las Vegas, said, "His White House staff is going to look at things lot different than it has in the past. He's not going to just hire his friends."

"When I first heard him, he's very inclusive," said Ruth Laura. In referring to the colors designating Republican leaning states as red and Democratic states as blue on television election night, Laura said, "He realizes we're not just blue and red people."

Reggie Knight, a member of the Disabled American Veterans said, "He's changing the system. He's not a cookie-cutter (candidate)."

Obama campaign representatives fielded a few questions after a video of the candidate was shown. Lee McNeese, administrator of Love of Life Adult Care, asked about non-violent criminals, including many minority residents, who are imprisoned for life. Lever said Obama emphasizes rehabilitation and early education programs like Head Start.

Cecilia (CeCe) Alvarado-Sallee, project coordinator for the Nye Communities Coalition, said, "We're very concerned about prevention."

The Rev. John Boyd, pastor of the 2nd Missionary Baptist Church, said he wanted to know Obama's religion, since many candidates base decisions on their church after they're elected.

Wood asked if Obama would change the campaign finance system (candidates need to think about it on their own, he was told). Another audience member asked whether Obama supported stem cell research (he does). Does Obama support the death penalty? (No answer).

Lever said being able to take small $5 contributions means Obama won't have to take contributions from lobbyists for big corporations.

"We have 258,000 individual donors, and that's an incredible number," she said.

An partial supporter, Lever said, "I have seen a passion and enthusiasm in this campaign that I have never seen in politics before."

Campaigner Allison Schwartz said she has never seen such a good turnout for a candidate from voters who never supported a campaign as she's seen with Obama, with "thousands of people following him around."

Schwartz urged those who did work on the unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign of U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D.-Mass., in Nevada to get involved again.

"Nevada is once again going to be a battleground state. To those who worked on Kerry's campaign, it was devastating to lose by 21,000 votes," she said.

Schwartz said Obama is a Democratic presidential candidate who can gather support from independents and Republicans that will be needed to win the election in 2008.