Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
Stumble
Volunteers count caucus ballots for the second consecutive day at Clark County GOP headquarters in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012.
By Anjeanette Damon (contact) 
Sunday, Feb. 5, 2012 | 1:07 p.m.
Republican Party officials are trying to figure out how to deal with a “trouble box” of ballots from the presidential caucus Sunday as the count in Nevada’s largest county stretches into its second day.
Party officials have confirmed that ballots in multiple precincts exceeded the number of voters who signed in. The “trouble box” also includes ballots on which two candidates were marked and other irregularities.
David Gallagher, executive director of the state party, could not confirm or even give a rough estimate of the number of ballots in question.
“It’s a small number,” he said.
Party officials spent much of the morning in a closed-door meeting with campaign officials to discuss the process for counting the ballots and determine what to do with the ballot box.
A procedure for dealing with the “trouble box” will be agreed upon by party and campaign officials, Gallagher said. He and other party officials acknowledged that some of the precincts may be “thrown out.”
“Obviously we want to count as many ballots as possible,” Gallagher said. “We want people’s voices to be heard.”
Campaign officials have not commented on the process.
“Right now, no one is suing us,” Gallagher said, adding officials have found no evidence of fraud. The count discrepancies could be the result of late arrivals who received a ballot but didn't sign in.
As of 1 p.m., 70 percent of the ballots had been counted statewide.
The race has been called for Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had a 6,199 vote lead in the early count.
The count in Clark County is not expected to affect Romney’s victory, but it could determine which candidate comes in second place.
According to partial returns, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was leading U.S. Rep. Ron Paul by 1,004 votes.
Nevada’s national delegates are awarded in proportion to the vote each candidate received in the caucuses—making an accurate determination of who comes in second critical as Gingrich and Paul fight to collect enough delegates to continue competing with Romney for the nomination.
The ballot count stalled early Sunday as the problem ballots were discovered and party volunteers worked to verify numbers by hand. They resumed counting shortly after the meeting between party and campaign officials ended.
“We are going to get this right,” Clark County Chairman David Gibbs told the Las Vegas Sun earlier today. “If it takes us a little bit of time to get it rights, we are going to take the time.”
Nevada is the second state to experience problems with its caucus counts. Last month, Iowa declared Romney the victor of its first-in-the-nation contest by just eight votes. After a final tally, however, they discovered former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum had actually won by 34 votes.
As the counting continued the party line was: “We’re not going to be Iowa!”
No, I guess we're not going to be Iowa. Somehow, Iowa has managed to get away with a caucus system without too many legal hiccups. But after this fiasco, the Nevada G-O-TEA may very well be sued over this, the Adelson School Caucus fiasco, and maybe more. Congratulations, Nevada Republicans, for embarrassing our entire state and making us the laughingstock of the nation.
If this weren't Super Bowl Weekend, even more people would care enough to mock us over this BS.
The GOP has been used to counting $100 bills - ballots confuse them.
Well at least I have found an explanation. None of the networks or major news web pages have given us a clue as to why the long delay. What would really be embarrassing is to know the final score of the Super Bowl before this vote is completed. Nevada screwed up big time, but at least this newpaper reported "WHY". Florida Voter.
Iowa still doesn't know for sure who won.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/st...
They are just having a hard time getting rid of all the Ron Paul votes. No one can eat any more... Give them a couple of days.
Corruption or incompetence what is your choice Nevada?
The liberal press is all over this. Funny how they never care about voter fraud and irregularities when it involves Harry Reid's election.
Wow, You guys make us look like we know how to count ballots. Florida Voter!
This is a good ploy. Sneak those numbers in during the Super Bowl. 83% at halftime.
It is funny to read the comments from typical liberal posters who have amnesia when it comes to remembering what a fiasco the Dems had four years ago in this state.
This is the result of blind partisanship
NV GOP - a study in ineptitude. Embarrassing.
Last time it was the NV Dem that were a study in ineptitude in running the caucus.
They are taking turns.
Perhaps next time Nevada might consider Tuesday to avoid religious holy days. I guess a fair vote late is better than a rigged vote late, ala Al Frankin.
Americans are starting to see that our election process is hardly any better than some Third-Word process. Ron Paul's results have been routinely and deliberately covered up, changed, manipulated, skewed, et al, in Iowa, most probably New Hampshire, and now Nevada. There are mainstream political groups and individuals that do not want to see - and will do everything in their power to stop - a Ron Paul election. These questionable election results and practices are endemic of a dishonest system which acts more like a political 'Star Chamber' rather than the vehicle of honest elections by the citizenry.
Thank you, Nevada GOP, for once again meeting our highest expectations of complete and utter failure.
You clowns are the best!
The next time you hear Republicans whining about "voter fraud," ACORN or community organizing, remember:
a) The overwhelmingly disorganized Nevada Republican Party caucuses in 2012 *and* 2008; b) The Iowa Republican Party has still not certified a winner in caucuses they organized; and c) Indiana's Secretary of State, a Republican, was removed from office for lying about his address on voter forms.
I don't know if "mainstream" Nevada Republicans wanted to ensure Ron Paul lost or whether they are just incapable of running caucuses without controversy, but I don't want to hear any more about voter fraud from them until they figure out how to keep their elections controversy-free.
No surprise. Everything the GOP touches turns into a 'trouble box'.
Has anyone noticed that when any GOP count is wrong and there are "questionable ballots," they pooh pooh it away and say it is not a big thing...but God forbid if it happens during a vote where it includes Democrats, alluva sudden it's an evil diabolical plot meant to infest the world with socialist commies and them damn Democrats are at it again and involved wholeheartedly in voter fraud?
Colin is correct...
We better call for an investigation of the Chamber of Commerce; I'm sure they're responsible for this travesty of a so-called Presidential Election process!