*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.
More than 6.6 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week, according to new data from the Department of Labor.
Stocks are rising in early trading on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve launched its latest unprecedented effort to support the economy through the coronavirus outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has new guidance for essential workers as it takes a small step toward reopening the country.
By Wednesday, day four of the program, some $80 billion of the $350 billion promised to small businesses in relief loans had been processed. But few lenders, if any, have begun funding any loans, meaning it could still be weeks before businesses receive the relief they desperately need right now.
Stocks are up 3% on Wall Street as investors focus on the optimistic side of data about the coronavirus outbreak’s trajectory.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy Wednesday announced an executive order expanding the scope of the state's coronavirus restrictions.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that 779 people in the state have died in a single day, marking another solemn milestone as the state fights to slow down the devastation of COVID-19.
Entrepreneur, NBA owner, and Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban told Cheddar on Wednesday that the coronavirus pandemic could signal a shift in the U.S. economy toward workers.
Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the party’s establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, has ended his presidential bid.
California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Golden State had managed to secure a monthly supply of 200 million N95 respiratory and surgical masks, opening up the possibility of helping other states struggling to secure protective supplies.
