EDITORIAL – Nevada casino caucus ideal for voters

A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Democratic Party could set up voting precincts in… A federal judge ruled yesterday that the Democratic Party could set up voting precincts in nine casinos on the Las Vegas strip just in time for this weekend’s Nevada caucuses.

The plan was approved in order to make voting accessible to more people in Nevada.

There are roughly 200,000 people who work long hours on the Las Vegas strip – housekeepers, waitresses, bellhops, cooks and many more – who would probably not have the opportunity to vote in their own neighborhoods or vote at all.

The court suit arose when Nevada’s state teachers’ union, the largest union in the state, which also has ties with Hillary Clinton, went to court to challenge the plan, claiming that the casino sites would give the Vegas strip workers an unfair advantage over other voters. It would be easier, they said, for casino workers to caucus than it would be for other people living in Nevada.

The union also claimed that voters at the casino precincts would be able to elect more delegates than voters at other sites.

The Nevada Culinary Workers Union, which endorsed democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama two days before the suit, fired back, accusing the teachers’ union of attempting to tilt the presidential race in support of Hillary Clinton.

While the Clinton campaign said it was not associated with the suit, this is nevertheless negative press for Clinton.

One member of the teachers’ union told the Associated Press, “Backers of Hillary Clinton are suing in court to take away our right to vote in the caucuses.”

However, all the bickering that is going on between the two sides prevents people from seeing the bigger picture: This plan will give more people a chance to vote.

It seems that during every major election year, less and less voters show up at the polls.

This could be the result of any number of various reasons, but a big problem when it comes to growing voter disenfranchisement in America is accessibility.

People with full schedules and busy lives cannot always go out of their ways to a polling place to cast their votes.

So some people simply don’t.

By placing the precincts where a large number of Las Vegas residents work, voter turnout will increase dramatically.

How is that a bad thing?

The move by the Democratic Party was done in the interest of the population, and as a result, more people will have the opportunity to participate in the caucuses.

Furthermore, casinos are bigger than most other voting sites, almost inviting more people to come and cast their votes.

Areas with dense populations should offer enough polling places to accommodate their large populations.

And if the Las Vegas strip is where most people in the region are, then that’s also where many of the precincts should be