Finally! Results are in

Democrats in Jasper County choose Pete Buttigieg as their top candidate.

The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., received roughly 33.5 percent of the State Delegate Equivalents (SDEs) in Jasper County, according to caucus results posted Thursday by the Des Moines Register. By that time, less than 97 percent of all precincts in the state had reported their results.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., received 22 percent of the SDEs in the county, followed closely by former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden at 20 percent; Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., at 14 percent; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, at 6.5 percent; and philanthropist Andrew Yang at 3 percent.

Buttigieg campaigned in Newton on a few occasions: once in September at Berg Middle School and then again in January at Legacy Plaza. Both times he attracted his a fair amount of supporters. Caucus results indicate Buttigieg’s biggest rival may be Sanders, whose own turnout numbers are nearly identical.

Further data reveals just how close the two candidates are — and how confusing the caucus process is. The Register’s caucus information on Thursday shows Sanders with 44,753 of the final alignment statewide, versus Buttigieg’s 42,235. Yet, SDEs are in Buttigieg’s favor at 550, versus Sander’s 547.

Infamous delays and intense public scrutiny from pundits across the country have put the Iowa caucus process on blast. Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) Communications Director Mandy McClure released a statement shortly after explaining the party “found inconsistencies” in the reporting of results.

Precincts were using tech systems to tabulate results, in addition to photos and a paper trail for validation and accuracy. McClure said it was “simply a reporting issue” that would need extra time. Michelle Smith, chair of the Jasper County Democratic Party, said the process of runing the caucus went “fairly smooth” for her.

The precinct Smith resided in “ran well with the new rules implemented by the IDP.” Preference cards and only one realignment sped up the night’s process, too.

“I am extremely proud of all the volunteers in Jasper County who helped make the evening a success,” Smith said Thursday in a statement to Newton Daily News. “I am saddened that a error with technology has been the story to come out of the caucus. The story should be how Democrats from all walks of life came together to cast the first votes of the 2020 election.”

One day after the caucus, IDP Chair Troy Price shed some more light on the situation in another statement.

The party, he said, has “every indication” that its systems were secure and did not have a cyber security intrusion. Prior to caucus day, Price said the systems were tested by independent cybersecurity consultants. When results came in, IDP checked for accuracy and quality assurance.

“It became clear that there were inconsistencies with the reports,” Price said. “The underlying cause of these inconsistencies was not immediately clear, and required investigation, which took time. As this investigation unfolded, IDP staff activated pre-planned backup measures and entered data manually.”

This method took longer than expected. IDP’s Investigations determined the underlying data collected via an app built by a company called Shadow Inc. was sound. The app itself was recording data accurately, Price said, but was reporting only partial data due to a coding issue in the system.

Price said the issue was identified and fixed. The app’s reporting issue “did not impact the ability of precinct chairs to report data accurately.” Since paper documentation was required, Price claimed the IDP was able to verify the data recorded in the app and used it to calculate the SDEs were valid and accurate.

McClure released a statement on Tuesday that a majority of caucus results would be released that afternoon. Just like the part “would have on caucus night” she said the IDP will continue to release results when able.

“We are also executing our plans and procedures to gather the paper documents and chasing any additional precincts to report results as we normally would on caucus night,” McClure said.

On Thursday, Price released yet another statement.

“While I fully acknowledge that the reporting circumstances on Monday night were unacceptable, we owe it to the thousands of Iowa Democratic volunteers and caucusgoers to remain focused on collecting and reviewing incoming results,” he said.

At the time the statement was released, about 54 precincts were still unaccounted for. Moving forward, Price said the party is “committed to the integrity of the preferences expressed by dedicated, passionate, and fervent Iowa Democrats.” He also touted the accessibility of this year’s Iowa caucus.

“…Including over 1,500 caucusgoers attending satellite caucuses in senior living centers, Mosques, and overseas, and first-of-their-kind Spanish language and hand sign sites,” Price said. “This process will not be complete until we honor them.”

IDP is nearing its completion “in collecting redundant” paper records from all 1,756 precincts, Price said, “including hand-collecting materials from all 99 counties which are securely stored in Des Moines.”

Price also seems to indirectly address a tweet made by Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez, who said, “Enough is enough. In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass.”

Price said should any presidential campaign in compliance with Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP is prepared.

“In such a circumstance, the IDP will audit the paper records of report, as provided by the precinct chairs and signed by representatives of presidential campaigns,” Price said. “This is the official record of the Iowa Democratic caucus, and we are committed to ensuring the results accurately reflect the preference of Iowans.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com