MARK WAITE / PVT Supporters of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama cheer as the Illinois Democrat makes his victory speech following the Iowa caucus last Thursday during a "caucus watch" party at the home of precinct captain Jack Wood. A map of Pahrump shows the different caucus locations for Democrats. Republicans will all meet at Rosemary Clarke Middle School. Advertisement

Republicans will have a confidential voting system in Nye County with a straw poll for the Jan. 19 Nevada presidential caucus.

Democrats will have the convenience of going to their neighborhood school for the occasion.

The details of the first-ever Nevada presidential caucus are starting to take shape.

Republicans have picked up more registered voters in Nye County than Democrats since last November's general election.

The Nye County clerk's office has 9,463 registered Republicans on the voter rolls this month, 323 more than the 9,140 in November. There are 7,694 Democrats registered in Nye County, up 87 from 7,607 in two months ago. There are 2,856 non-partisans on the rolls, an increase of 14 from November 2006.

John Timmerman, chairman of the caucus committee for the Nye County Republican Party, said Republicans in Pahrump wishing to show up for the caucus will report to Rosemary Clarke Middle School Building F for registration starting at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 19.

Republicans must have been registered by Dec. 19 to be eligible to participate in the straw poll, but Timmerman said teenagers who are now 17 but will turn 18 by November 2008 can registered for the caucus at the door and participate.

Voting will start about 9:15 a.m. or 9:30 a.m. and last until about 12:30 p.m., Timmerman said. After the Republicans are checked on the voter registration lists, they will be given a paper ballot to check the name of their candidate and insert it in a box.

Committee members will count the paper ballots. Timmerman said representatives of different campaigns will be welcome to supervise the counting.

The Republican Party faithful will also be electing 186 or 187 delegates to the Nye County Convention in Beatty in March.

Timmerman said it's going to be a tough presidential race for both Democrats and Republicans.

"It's really hard to judge what the caucus is going to bring," Timmerman said. But he said the straw poll will energize the precinct meetings, which normally include mostly Republican Party faithful.

"It's making more Republicans aware that they need to get involved in politics."

Nye County Democratic Party Chairman Loyal Watkins doesn't think Democrats will be confused, with four different caucus locations in Pahrump.

Pahrump Democrats living north of Irene Street will caucus at Rosemary Clarke Middle School next to the Republicans. Those living in precincts south of Highway 372, east of Homestead Road down to Heritage Drive -- east of Pahrump Valley Boulevard for those south of Heritage Drive -- will caucus at Hafen Elementary School.

People living in the four precincts between Irene Street and Highway 372 will caucus at Manse Elementary School. All the rest, those in southwestern Pahrump, will caucus at Pahrump Valley High School.

Democrats will open the doors at 11 a.m., but those participating should be inside by 11:45 a.m. when the doors will be locked.

"We really are trying to make it easy. That's why we have four different sites. They don't have to drive from the south end of the valley to the north end," Watkins said.

At each caucus location, Democrats will be directed where to meet for their precinct. Once in that precinct location, participants will stand with other supporters of their candidate to be counted. Watkins said one Democratic Party official will be at each school to do the counting.

A candidate must have 15 percent of the total caucus participants in that precinct to be counted, otherwise those supporters can join supporters of their secondary choice.

If, for example, there are 100 people in a specific site, a given candidate must have at least 15 supporters to be counted.

Watkins didn't think some Democratic voters would be reluctant to show their support publicly for their candidate, instead of a confidential vote typical in elections.

"I really don't think it's going to be a problem this time," Watkins said. "People are so afraid of our country falling apart."

Kirsten Searer, state Democratic Party spokesperson, said any active Democrat or newly-registered Democrat will receive something in the mail notifying them of their caucus location. Democratic Party caucus locations can also be found on the Web by punching in www.nvcaucus.com

"Certainly most people aren't used to the caucus process. They're used to ducking into a ballot box and making their vote. A caucus is a meeting of neighbors. You express your support for a candidate," Searer said. "It's a really fun and exciting environment. A caucus is a chance to bring people who haven't been involved before."

Searer said there are a lot of independents in the state, who could change their registration to Democrat the day of the caucus.

The caucus means there won't be any presidential candidates on the ballot Aug. 12 during the Nevada primary. The primary will be to elect all other candidates on the party ballot, with the winner proceeding to the Nov. 4 general election.