Iowa blames app for caucus delay, says results to be released ‘as soon as possible today’

The Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) said Tuesday that a phone app the precincts were relying on to transmit results did not function properly and is partially responsible for the ongoing delay and confusion surrounding the caucuses.

It also said that while its plan was to release results “as soon as possible today,” it stopped short of guaranteeing it would announce a result. 

“Precinct level results are still being reported to the IDP. While our plan is to release results as soon as possible today, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the integrity and accuracy of the process continues to be upheld,” the party said in a statement. 

The delay has given a serious black eye to the Iowa caucuses, raising serious questions about whether it should retain its place as the first contest in the country. 

The candidates have now moved on to New Hampshire, which holds its primary next week. Candidates such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who both said they did well in the caucuses, may see their momentum blunted by the problems.

In a statement, the IDP said it has confidence that the full data collected by the app is accurate. But it said that the app in some instances only transmitted “partial data,” necessitating a manual count that has stretched into a second day.

“As part of our investigation, we determined with certainty that the underlying data collected via the app was sound,” the IDP said.

“While the app was recording data accurately, it was reporting out only partial data. We have determined that this was due to a coding issue in the reporting system. This issue was identified and fixed. The application’s reporting issue did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately.”

There were reports from some precincts about issues with the app, but it was unclear whether the app was glitchy or whether users struggled to use it.

The IDP initially said there was no problem with the app and that the delay was due to new reporting requirements that break down the results into three separate tiers.

“Because of the required paper documentation, we have been able to verify that the data recorded in the app and used to calculate State Delegate Equivalents is valid and accurate,” the IDP said. 

The Nevada Democratic Party is reportedly using the same app for its caucuses later this month. A spokesperson for the party has not responded to a request for comment.

The Huffington Post reports that the app was produced by the firm Shadow, which was launched last year by Acronym, a Democratic digital firm that is investing tens of millions of dollars into advertisements against President Trump.

In a statement, Acronym sought to distance itself from Shadow, describing it as an “independent, for-profit” company that has other private investors as well.

“We are reading confirmed reports of Shadow’s work with the Iowa Democratic Party on Twitter and we, like everyone else, are eagerly awaiting more information from the Iowa Democratic Party about what happened,” spokesman Kyle Tharp said.