Several Nevada Democrats were forced to choose between an hour's wages or voting in the caucuses

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published 20 February 2016

As Nevada Democrats flocked to their caucuses on Saturday, some potential caucus-goers were forced to watch from the sidelines — because they're stuck at work. "There was a bunch of people who wanted to vote, and they said they'd lose an hour's wages if they did," Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), a Clinton supporter, told The Washington Post. Whereas a combined precinct at the Wynn Las Vegas was packed with 376 voters in 2008 — mainly workers from that hotel and other hotels nearby — just 60 voters made it to the precinct on Saturday.

Navigating the hospitality and leisure industry's workers' unusual hours has long been a problem for the Nevada caucuses, FiveThirtyEight reports. An estimated 51 percent of workers from these industries were on the clock when caucusing began at 2 p.m. ET Saturday. Pushing back the start time wouldn't help matters much either, FiveThirtyEight reports. Even if the caucus start were to be pushed back to, say, 7 p.m. ET, 37 percent of workers would still be at their jobs.