By Joe Schoenmann

Published Saturday, Jan. 19, 2008 | 11:43 a.m.

Updated Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | 2:14 p.m.

At 10:50 a.m., the line into a gymnasium at Doolittle Community Center, 1950 J St., in Las Vegas' historic West Side, was 100 people long. Across the street from the building, Obama and Hillary signs were anchored into rosemary bushes lining J Street. Workers for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama asked everyone who entered who they were for and whether or not they needed help registering or figuring out what precinct they belonged to.

While the center is holding six precincts, but the line into the gym holding two, Precinct 4461 and 4028, was the fullest and, not by chance, most confused.

"Please listen up!" a volunteer said. "4028 is on the south side of the gym and 4461 is on the south side."

"You mean north side!" someone yelled.

"Oh lord!" another groaned from the line.

"I wonder if it's just confusing here, or if all these caucus meetings are this way," said Douglas Tanner, 22, who waited in line with Winston Branch, 25. The two native Las Vegans had never been to a caucus, never knew what to expect, but were drawn here, with hundreds more, because of their belief in Barack Obama.

"He really sounds like someone who would be different," Tanner said. "Hillary sounds like she says the same thing over and over and over."