Iowa Caucus Live: Delay Frustrates Dems (Just 1.93% In)

A historic delay in Iowa Caucus returns has left Democratic presidential candidates frustrated late into the night Tuesday.

The Iowa Democratic Party announced caucus reporting delays are not result of "hack or an intrusion."

From Iowa Democratic Party Spokeswoman Mandy McClure:

"We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results. In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report. This is simply a reporting issue. The app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion. The underlying data and paper trail is sound and will simply take time to further report the results."

AP Summary Results – Final Alignment

34 of 1765 Precincts Reporting - 1.93% | Updated: Feb. 03, 2020 11:01 pm EST

The Iowa Democratic Party said Monday night that results from the state's first-in-the-nation caucus were delayed due to "quality checks" and new reporting rules, an embarrassing complication that added a new layer of doubt to an already uncertain presidential primary season.

The statement came as Iowa voters packed caucus sites across the state with at least four leading candidates battling to win the opening contest of the 2020 campaign, and ultimately, the opportunity to take on President Donald Trump this fall.

Democrats hoped that Iowa's caucuses would provide some clarity for what has been a muddled nomination fight for much of the last year. But apparent technology issues delayed the results as the state party suggested turnout was on track to match 2016 numbers.

"The integrity of the results is paramount," party spokesperson Mandy McClure said. "We have experienced a delay in the results due to quality checks and the fact that the IDP is reporting out three data sets for the first time."

Des Moines County Democratic Chair Tom Courtney blamed technology issues in his county, relaying precinct reports that the app created for caucus organizers to report results was "a mess." As a result, Courtney said precinct leaders were phoning in results to the state party headquarters, which was too busy to answer their calls in some cases.\

Among the reported final results:

• The Associated Press Live Results.
• Sanders won all 9 delegates from the Muslim Community Organization.
• Johnston 4: Buttigieg 3, Warren 3, Klobuchar 2, and Biden 2.
• The New York Times Live Results.

Iowa Democratic Party officials say an early issue with a mobile app designed to report results will not hinder the Iowa caucus process.

Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said Monday that there were some reports from precinct officials that they couldn’t log into the app during the first-in-the-nation caucuses.

He said a team of troubleshooters is working to address any technical issues.

He added the party has alternate ways for precincts to send in results, including a hotline.

"We've had an app before, but we've also had a hotline before, and folks have had the option to do that, and so we expect that we'll be able to report the results in a timely manner this evening," he said.

The app was designed to allow for the quick filing of results, and the issue appears to be the result of different PINs used for early testing and caucus night logins.

Organizers at a large precinct in downtown Iowa City say the caucus may be delayed by an hour or longer as hundreds of people wait to register to vote or check in.

By 7:25 p.m., the 500 seats on the first floor of the Englert Theatre was mostly full and organizers opened up the balcony for more than 200 extra seats. Supporters of several campaigns sat in rows.

Many others who were in line by 7 p.m. were still outside waiting to check in, the lines snaking a block in both directions. The precinct is dominated by the University of Iowa campus and campaigns are vying for nine delegates here.

Iowa kicks off voting in the nation for the presidential race. It is the first contest to measure support for the Democratic candidates.

Voters are gathered at more than 1,700 sites throughout Iowa to declare support for their preferred candidate. They then will participate in "alignment," which allows supporters of eliminated candidates to choose again.

For the first time this year, the Iowa Democratic Party will report three sets of results: tallies for the "first alignment" and "final alignment," as well as each candidate's total of "state delegate equivalents." Previously, only each candidate's ultimate number of state convention delegates has been reported.

The Associated Press will declare the winner based on the number of state delegate equivalents.

Polls suggest Sanders may have a narrow lead, but any of the top four candidates — Sanders, Biden, Warren and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Buttigieg — could score victory in the unpredictable caucus system.

Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg says he has no regrets on skipping the Iowa caucuses.

The billionaire former New York City mayor was campaigning in California on Monday as his rivals for the Democratic nomination prepared for the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses.

Bloomberg suggested that his rivals were falling behind in the race. He noted in Compton that he has made stops in 24 states and 60 cities while the other candidates have been hunkered down in Iowa.

He'd like to think he's a few steps ahead.

"I hope so," Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg’s trip amounted to a carefully planned sideshow to the crescendo of campaigning in Iowa, where the crowded and shifting Democratic field headed toward an uncertain finish in Monday’s caucuses.

It's unusual, but not unprecedented, for a candidate to turn away from Iowa, the time-honored launching pad for presidential candidates. Bloomberg's strategy is to skip the four early voting states and focus instead on the delegate-rich Super Tuesday states voting on March 3.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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