AN OPTION FOR “none of these candidates” received the most votes in Nevada’s Republican presidential primary contest, winning out over Nikki Haley, who was the only major candidate on the ballot.

Official results two hours after polls closed showed the former UN ambassador had just 32% of the vote, against more than 61% for “None of these candidates.” 

The result has no tangible bearing on the race for the Republican nomination because it didn’t carry any delegates — the outcome of a row between state authorities and the Nevada Republican party, which will hold a separate caucus this week.

However, seeing more voters mark their primary ballots for “none of these candidates” than cast their votes for Haley will not help the contender’s campaign. 

Haley had said beforehand she was going to “focus on the states that are fair” and did not make much effort to campaign in the western state.

Former President Donald Trump is the only major candidate competing in the state’s caucuses tomorrow and will likely sweep its Republican delegates as a result.

Officials reported lower-than-expected turnout for in-person voting.

In the first two hours after polls opened, officials said 183 people had voted in person in Washoe County, the state’s second-largest county by population.

In Clark County, home to Las Vegas and Nevada’s most-populated county, 2,298 people voted in person during the same two-hour period. Nevada voters also have the option to vote by mail or before election day.

The split races have undercut the influence of the third state on the Republican primary calendar.

In the Democratic primary, President Joe Biden easily beat author Marianne Williamson and a handful of less-known challengers.

Additional reporting by AFP