Before Nevada hosts the Super Bowl – and maybe Taylor Swift – it'll hold a 2024 primary and caucus

February is shaping up to be a major month for the Silver State.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Swifties are wondering whether Taylor Swift will make it to the championship game to cheer on the Chiefs' Travis Kelce after she wraps up tour dates in Japan.

Celebrities aside, Nevada voters will also make their voices heard in February. The state will have two presidential nominating contests this week – a primary on Tuesday required by state law and a caucus on Thursday organized by the Nevada GOP.

For Democrats, with an incumbent president on the ballot, it will be a straightforward and likely low-drama affair.

The Nevada GOP, meanwhile, will honor only the winner of the caucus with delegates. The party has said any candidate who signs up for the primary would be barred from the caucus.

If you're confused about the dueling Republican races, don't worry. The elections have prompted confusion and criticism from many corners, but here's what you need to know:

When is the Nevada caucus?

The Nevada Republican Party will hold an in-person caucus Feb. 8 at various precinct locations around the state.

Get details on how to participate in the Republican caucus at nevadaGOP.org/2024-presidential-caucus.

Who’s running in the Nevada caucus?

Republican candidates who have registered for the caucus include former President Donald Trump and several candidates who have long since dropped out of the race, such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Only Texas Pastor Ryan Binkley is going up against Trump.

When is the Nevada primary?

The presidential preference primary is Feb. 6, with early voting starting Jan. 27. Only registered Republicans and Democrats can particiapte.

It will be structured like a typical election with sample ballots mailed out, mail-in ballots as the default and electronic voting at many of the usual vote centers.

Who’s on the Nevada primary ballot?

On the Republican side, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is on the ballot, along with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and former Vice President Mike Pence, both of whom have dropped out of the race. John Castro, Heath Fulkerson, Hirsh Singh and Donald Kjornes round out the Republican ballot.

If you're registered as a Democrat in Nevada, your ballot will include President Joe Biden, challenger Marianne Williamson and less-well-known candidates Armando Perez-Serrato, Brent Foutz, Stephen Lyons, Jason Palmer, Donald Picard, Stephen Leon, John Haywood, Gabriel Cornejo, Frank Lozada, Superpayaseria Crystalroc and Mark Prascak.

“None of these candidates” will also be a choice on statewide primary ballots.

Why is Trump not on the Nevada primary ballot?

Trump registered to run in the Nevada caucus, rather than the Nevada presidential preference primary, after the state's Republican Party announced it would not send delegates to the Republican National Convention based on results from the primary.

That means only the GOP caucus has the power to move a candidate closer to winning the Republican nomination.

Why does Nevada have a caucus and a primary?

In 2021, the Nevada Legislature approved a change to make way for a presidential primary. It was intended to be a simpler way to pick the preferred presidential candidates for the two major parties.

However, the Nevada Republican Party balked at the new format and went in another direction. Instead of sending delegates to the GOP National Convention based on primary results, the party will consider only results from its Feb. 8 caucus, which it will host and pay for itself.

The party says the caucus embodies the election reforms it seeks, such as the use of voter ID, a single election day with no early voting, paper ballots and less influence from super PACs.

Is it too late to register to vote in Nevada?

Fortunately, no. Nevada allows same-day voter registration and registration changes. To do either of these, you will need to vote in person at a vote center. If you haven't voted before, you will need to provide a government-issued ID and cast a provisional ballot that won’t be counted until it’s verified that you meet the requirements of voter registration.