Long Lines Didn't Stop These Nevada GOP Voters

Sadly, no election in the United States is known for its high voter turnout, particularly when it comes to presidential primaries. Among them, Nevada's Republican caucus tends to be one of the least participated-in contests. Yet with this year's highly dramatic Republican race, it probably shouldn't be surprising that news of long lines at the Nevada GOP caucus spread like wildfire over Twitter just after the caucus doors opened.

Nevada gets a lot of attention because it's among the early primary and caucus states. But in 2012, the state's Republican caucus had a fraction of the turnout of early contests in other states. That year, the turnout at Nevada's GOP caucus was 1.9 percent. New Hampshire's Republican primary, on the other hand, had nearly 25 percent of voters turn out. Sure, part of the divide can definitely be blamed on the fact that the caucus process is more time-intensive and more involved than the primary process, but even the Iowa caucus had more than double the turnout of Nevada's.

Could this year's caucus turnout be a byproduct of the Trump factor? It's completely possible, as this year's contests so far have shown that higher voter turnout correlates with support for Trump. Trump effect or not, the lines outside of these Nevada caucus locations on Tuesday don't lie:

Lines weren't the only obstacle for voters waiting to participate in Tuesday's caucus, it seems. Almost immediately after the doors opened at caucus locations across the state, participants took to social media to complain that there weren't enough ballots and that some ballot workers were showing favoritism by wearing Trump clothing. Maybe the higher turnout isn't a good thing for Trump after all?