*By Spencer Feingold*
Nevada's 2020 Democratic caucus is still over eight months away, but party organizers are wasting no time in their efforts to draw the broadest possible swath of the constituency into the process.
"We think this contest is going to be really competitive here," Shelby Wiltz, the state's 2020 caucus director, told Cheddar. "We have a really diverse state, and Nevadans are really reflective of what the electorate across the country is going to look like in 2020."
Like Iowa and a handful of other states, Nevada Democrats elect their presidential nominee through a caucus, which entails voters gathering to openly debate and decide on a candidate. This process differs from a primary — used in the majority of states — where voters simply cast a ballot and leave.
Yet the Silver State now offers multiple options for caucusing to ensure a high turnout. Aside from participating on caucus day, voters now have the option to make their voices heard through a four-day early caucus period or by participating in a virtual caucus, which will allow residents to phone-in their preferred candidates.
It is "an option for folks who may have a disability, folk who are homebound due to illness, single parents, or parents in general who are busy and taking care of their kids and may not have time to come to the caucus," Wiltz said.
The phone option will be available to the [roughly 667,000](https://www.nvsos.gov/sos/home/showdocument?id=6171) Nevada Democrats in English, Spanish, and Tagalog.
"Folks are eager to get involved, they are eager to come out and vote," Wiltz added. "We have really strong prospects for the future."
The actual in-person caucus is set for February 22, 2020; the date for the Republican Nevada caucus has not yet been announced.
Using chainsaws, heavy machinery and controlled burns, the Biden administration is trying to turn the tide on worsening wildfires in the U.S. West through a multi-billion dollar cleanup of forests choked with dead trees and undergrowth.
The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that state courts can act as a check on their legislatures in redistricting and other issues affecting federal elections, rejecting arguments by North Carolina Republicans that could have transformed contests for Congress and president.
Ron DeSantis asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit from Walt Disney Co. that accused the Florida governor of violating its contract with the state for his recent actions against the company.
Florida Gov. and 2024 presidential candidate Ron DeSantis outlined key immigration policies in Texas on Monday, vowing to end birthright citizenship along with mass detention and deportations.
New Zealand acknowledged it has an aging Boeing 757 so prone to breakdowns they had sent an empty backup to ensure Prime Minister Chris Hipkins didn't get stranded in China, where he is leading a trade delegation.
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride announced Monday she's running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Already the first openly transgender state senator elected in the country, she'd be the first transgender member of Congress if she wins in November.
U.S. states could face some hurdles as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in part due to fuel efficiency and the rise of electric cars.
The defiance of restrictions in North Dakota on what bathrooms transgender students can use in public schools and universities shows that it's not exactly clear how bathroom laws will play out in local communities after being enacted in at least 10 states with Republican-controlled legislatures.
