Iowa precinct heads are reporting difficulties logging into and using an app meant to ease and hasten the reporting process for caucuses in the Democratic presidential primary.
The app was designed to assist the Iowa Democratic Party’s roughly 1,700 caucusing sites report results to the party headquarters to tally, according to Bloomberg. State Democratic Party officials say that if the glitches are not fixed, the results of the first-in-the-nation caucus will only be delayed for a few hours at most.
“The [Iowa Democratic Party] is working with any precinct chairs who want to use the optional tabulation application to make sure they are comfortable with it,” party spokeswoman Mandy McClure said in a statement. “We’ve always been aware that many precinct chairs prefer to call in results via a secure hotline, and have systems in place so they can do so.”
Some precinct heads across the state have reported not being able to log into the app. If the bugs are not fixed, those unable to use the app will report the results of their precincts over the phone to a designated call-in number.
“A lot of us are going to be doing it on paper and calling it in,” Muscatine County Democratic Party Chairman Kelcey Brackett said. “They [the chairs] were looking forward to being able to use it [the app] but we’re back to using pen and paper, which everyone is familiar with and should be easy.”
Reports of trouble with the app began pouring into the state Democratic Party headquarters on Monday hours before the caucuses are set to take place.
The Iowa caucus marks the official start of the Democratic presidential primary, though most candidates have been campaigning in the state for months. Down the final stretch, several campaigns — such as those Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 78, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, 70 — have been constrained by President Trump’s impeachment trial in Washington, D.C.
The senators have been stuck watching impeachment proceedings while other contenders, such as former Vice President Joe Biden, 77, have campaigned across the state in the final days leading up to the caucus.
Sanders is currently leading the field in the RealClearPolitics polling average for the Iowa caucus with 23% support. Biden and former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, 38, are following Sanders with 19% and 17%, respectively.
