Clark County Democratic Convention

Clark County Democrats outside the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV for their Saturday re-voteLAS VEGAS-In make-up voting from their unsuccessful Feb. 23 convention, Clark County Democrats hosted caucus delegates at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV today in an event that was long on organization and calls of party unity and decidedly short on drama.

"It was very simple, it was great," said Steve Ginsberg, 44, after he had cast his vote.  "They should have incorporated more of this at the first one.  Bottom-line is the speeches were great [Feb. 23], but what counts is that vote.  They got the vote out here with no pomp and now we can move forward."

In results released less than an hour after the vote concluded, N.Y. Sen. Hillary Clinton received 3,442 votes and won 1,330 delegates to the state convention, or just under 54 percent of the total number of delegates.  Obama received 2,900 votes and was awarded 1,133 delegates, or 46 percent.  Turnout was approximately 86 percent of the total identified delegates.

Tom Vanderpool, 59, of Las Vegas, discusses the Apr. 12 Clark County Democratic Convention re-vote and his hopes for his candidate-of-choice.

Note: The cellphone ringing near the end of this video did not belong to this reporter.

Irene Houghland, 56, of Las Vegas, discusses the April. 12 Clark County Democratic Convention re-vote and her hopes for her candidate-of-choice.

The Bally's ballroom, site of the 2008 Clark County Democratic ConvetionLas Vegas- “Clown shoes” was how one delegate to the Clark County Democratic Convention described the scene Saturday, echoing the thoughts and words of many in the packed-beyond-overflow ballroom of Bally’s Hotel and Casino.

Trouble started before the convention even began as thousands of people waited in line for hours to be granted entrance to the ballroom.  The capacity of the room was only 5,000, according to a Bally’s spokesperson, but more than 7,400 delegates had been elected from the precinct caucuses last month, not counting alternates.  A fire marshal threatened to shut the event down only minutes after it officially began and when the doors were shut to all comers, hundreds of people still remained outside.

Al Franken, candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, addresses the Clark County Democratic Convention.

The motion to recess is voted down.

Note that convention chair Bill Stanley does not use the convention's comically oversized gavel.