By now many here have seen the multiple accounts here and here alleging outright cheating by Clinton operatives at Nevada caucuses in Clark County.
By now many have also seen that the Clinton campaign told at least some of its volunteers in a written document that "It's not illegal unless they tell you so."
Many skeptical people have asked for confirmation of any of these activities by non-Obama volunteers. I therefore give you Christopher Hayes, the Washington, D.C. editor of The Nation magazine. His article, published here in The Nation and also in full at his blog here, details allegations of cheating by a Clinton precinct chair also "serving" as Temporary Caucus Chair at the Rancho High School (that's precinct 4452, for those keeping track).
Following are a few choice quotes from the article. The caucus location in question here was large and there was a great deal of confusion--confusion that was not present at many of the smaller locations with even less media scrutiny. Nonetheless, the fact that there was bad faith and cheating on the part of the Clinton people even at this high-profile locaton is indisputable. I strongly encourage everyone to read the whole thing, and make up your own minds...
Three precincts were supposed to be caucusing in the cafeteria, but instead there was chaos. Confused crowds surrounded several large tables strewn with registration sheets and preference cards. A black woman named Violet Dorn sat at the middle table, festooned with Hillary stickers and lording over the official registration papers. Across the table, a black man in a white-collared shirt and suit with an Obama button stood berating her. "Stop telling people this table is only for Hillary!" he shouted. "You cannot do that!" A small wrestling match commenced over the paperwork. Then a white man approached. "What kind of politics is this?" he yelled. "Is this the politics of change?" His shirt featured a picture of Obama and the words He's Black and I'm Proud.
Meanwhile, the caucus attendees circled and paced, looking for some sign of order and finding none. Hobbling behind a walker, one woman explained that she'd come with fellow residents of a nearby senior citizen center looking to vote, but their names hadn't been on the rolls. (That shouldn't have stopped her, since the caucuses offered same-day registration.) Eventually she was allowed to caucus. Some people left; others just watched and steamed, frustrated and powerless. The confusion stretched on, twenty minutes, half an hour...
It goes on later:
Ultimately, much of the chaos and rancor resulted from Dorn's dual role as temporary caucus chair and precinct captain for Hillary Clinton. As temporary caucus chair she was the only official party presence there, charged with administering the sign-in in a nonbiased manner and making sure everything ran smoothly. As a precinct captain for Hillary, her job was to deliver votes for the candidate. Dorn conflated her two roles, telling attendees they could sign in only if they were supporting Hillary, while prechecking the preference cards she dispensed with a mark next to Clinton. This (understandably) sent Obama supporters into hysteria. After the caucus, Dorn admitted that "there was some confusion" on her part as to her role. Subsequent conversations with caucus-goers and campaign organizers convinced me that disorder was commonplace: the smooth functioning of the caucuses depend almost entirely on the competence and good faith of the volunteer temporary chair.
That "good faith" was entirely lacking amongst Clinton operatives throughout Clark County, where similar cheating was nearly ubiquitous (except for the large, high-profile locations where they couldn't get away with it).
There is much more in the article discussing other matters related to the campaign and their supporters; all of it is an excellent read.
In terms of the cheating, however, it's really pretty simple. When you throw in the fact that: 1) Clinton people were encouraged to do anything they could get away with; 2) the State Party was entirely behind Clinton and has its people managing registration and other activities at caucus locations; and 3) what confusion there was at the caucus sites was exploited by the Clinton people to further push the boundaries of the rules and of moral decency, it adds up to an ugly scene with ugly ramifications for the Clinton campaign.
We'll see how many more accounts trickle out in the days to come as well...