Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.
If only her parents knew. Then again, maybe it's better that they don't.
In January, 74-year-old Joan Bickers marched into the local Democratic Party office and changed her political registration.
It was a big move for Bickers, who has fond childhood memories of nibbling on cookies and chatting with her mother's friends at Republican precinct meetings.
"My mom and dad are turning in their graves," Bickers said. "But I find this president that we have very frightening."
Bickers said she has been spurred into action this election season because of her disagreements with the Bush administration.
Now the retired teacher supports former Gov. Howard Dean and spends hours each week stuffing envelopes for the Democratic Party.
Across the country, Democrats are breaking voter turnout records in caucuses and primaries.
Voter interest always spikes in presidential years, but this year in particular, many voters are either new Democrats or people who typically would ignore the primary process, party officials and election experts said.
"Bush is a very polarizing figure," said UNLV political science professor Ted Jelen. "He inspires a lot of loyalty in some people and really negative reactions among others."
Local Democrats hope to capitalize on the voter reaction Saturday, when they hold their caucus at 9 a.m. at Chaparral High School, 3850 Annie Oakley Drive.
Democrats hope to see at least double the turnout of the 2000 caucus, when between 500 and 700 people voted, said Democratic Party spokesman Jon Summers.
Phones at the Democratic office were "ringing off the hook" on Wednesday, and 22,000 people visited the state party's website on Tuesday, Summers said.
"Nevada Democrats are just as energized as everyone else to get Bush out of office," Summers said.
Democrats might be in the spotlight now, but loyal Bush supporters are just as active in Nevada, said Tracey Schmitt, a spokeswoman for the Bush-Cheney campaign.
More than 300 Bush-Cheney volunteers are trained and ready to recruit volunteers, call into talk radio shows and go door-to-door, she said. Schmitt said volunteers were "energized."
"Nevadans are inspired by the leadership of President Bush," Schmitt said. "We expect a close election and are not taking any vote for granted."
Nevada, officials from both parties said, is shaping up to be an interesting battleground state.
On Monday, some political novices who will vote Democrat on Saturday described their feelings at a standing-room-only meeting of the local chapter of the Stonewall Democrats, an organization of gay Democrats.
Las Vegas resident and retired physicist Dwayne Chesnut represented the campaign of retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who dropped out of the race on Wednesday.
Chesnut described himself as "disenfranchised" and "apathetic" before the Bush administration took office.
Now he can't read the newspaper without his blood pressure rising, he said.
He worries about the mounting federal deficit, the progression of the war in Iraq, and appointments of federal judges he said have "an extreme right-wing agenda."
"As you can tell, this is a very personal thing for me," the 67-year-old told the crowd.
Next, Dennis Kucinich supporter Maureen Walsh told the group she never gets involved in politics, but she was motivated by the Ohio congressman's passion for peace.
She joked that her family would be surprised to see her supporting a candidate in front of a group of gay Democrats.
Other volunteers have hit the phones to recruit Nevadans to Saturday's caucus.
Cameo McCarthy has struggled to find work after graduating from college in May, and the 23-year-old said she is "completely appalled" by the Bush administration's position on abortion and the rising deficit.
McCarthy's introduction into politics was quick: She registered on Sen. John Kerry's Web site and soon was recruited to make phone calls to Nevada Democrats.
She was in the office placing calls to voters on her cell phone before the local Kerry campaign had hooked up their phone lines, she said.
"I'm completely frustrated with the Bush administration," she said.
Las Vegas residents Jordana and Eric McCudden said they never would have considered giving money to a politician before they started looking into Dean about six months ago.
As a critic of the political party system, Eric McCudden has been an Independent his whole voting life -- until recently, when he reregistered as a Democrat because of his frustration.
"They're breaking records all over the country with people coming out," Eric McCudden said. "It's not because Kerry's a great guy. It's because people want to get Bush out of office. They're grabbing at any life string they can at this point."
McCudden said he plans to reregister as an Independent again after he votes in the Democratic caucus. But he said his recent foray into politics only made him realize that he wants to do more.
Most of the political newcomers this year likely will continue to vote at the very least, Jelen said. It remains to be seen if the fervor of this year's Democratic primaries will carry to the general election and beyond, he said.
"A lot of these activists will go back to their private lives," Jelen said. "But some of them won't."
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