Primary or caucus? For Nevada Republicans, both formulas are on the electoral menu. On Tuesday, February 6, voters in the Silver State are invited to the polls for a primary that will not designate any delegates. Two days later, they are invited to caucuses, where their voices will count toward the selection of a nominee for presidential candidate. It is an oddity that illustrates the growing difficulty of party headquarters to maintain discipline within their ranks. After New Hampshire's Democratic primary, boycotted by Joe Biden to punish the local Democratic party for refusing to align itself with the national calendar, here comes the primary-caucus double-header resulting from the infighting of Nevada's Republicans.

In 2021, the state legislature decided – in a bipartisan vote – to harmonize the process for nominating presidential candidates. Each party would hold a primary on the first Tuesday in February. The ballot would be organized at the state level and, as in national elections, would offer the possibility of voting by mail, in advance, or in person on voting machines, all of which would boost turnout. However, that was without taking into account the hostility of some Republicans to easier voting. The legislation did not require verification of the voter's identity before voting – a serious shortcoming, in their eyes.

The local Republican party, affiliated with Donald Trump, decided that it would not use the results of these state primaries, whose organization it even tried to block in court, and that it would hold its caucuses anyway. The MAGA movement of the Grand Old Party is wary of absentee voting – to which it attributes the defeat of its champion in 2020. In contrast, the caucuses require voters to attend in person, and voting is not secret – although, in the case of Nevada, an initial vote will be held on paper ballots, which will, Republican organizers insist, be "counted by hand" in the utmost "transparency." Voters will, of course, have to prove their identity.

Competitors had to choose their arena. Trump decided to participate in the caucuses, while his sole remaining opponent, Nikki Haley, chose the primary, believing the dice to be loaded in favor of the former president. Six Republicans, including local party leader Michael McDonald, were indicted in Nevada for falsely certifying that Trump won the election in the state in 2020.

Voters can take part in both ballots. Trump is guaranteed to win all 26 delegates from the caucuses. With nothing at stake, some are watching to see how Haley fares in the primary. Her enemies have issued instructions to take advantage of the "none of these candidates" box on the ballot to deny her even a token victory. By taking part in the primary, rather than the caucuses, the former governor hopes to show that she can rally many independent voters and broaden the GOP's appeal in November.

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