Three days after the Democratic Iowa Caucuses, the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez called on Iowa’s state Democratic party to begin a recanvass of the results.
“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,” Perez wrote on Twitter.
“A recanvass is a review of the worksheets from each caucus site to ensure accuracy. The IDP will continue to report results,” he added in a follow-up tweet.
A recanvass is a review of the worksheets from each caucus site to ensure accuracy.
— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) February 6, 2020
The IDP will continue to report results.
The accuracy of the results has been called into question after they were initially delayed on the night of caucuses and further beset by errors when they were released.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that the results being released by the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) contained errors and other inconsistencies.
According to the Times, results from 100 precincts were either inconsistent with vote tallies or “not possible under the complex rules of the Iowa caucuses.” However, the Times notes that the mistakes did not appear to be intentional.
Additionally, an analysis of the results found that most of the errors didn’t have a bearing on the outcome, but “not all of the errors are minor,” as the Times reports.
On Wednesday, the IDP announced it would make a “minor correction” after the results it had released appeared to show inflated support for Tom Steyer and Deval Patrick.
Perez’s comments come as the latest results show former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D) maintaining a slim 26.2% to 26.1% lead over Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the state delegate equivalent metric.
The results which have been released show Sanders received the largest share of the popular vote. In a press conference on Thursday, Sanders touted his popular vote lead, calling it a “very strong victory.”
Sanders in NH: "That screw up has been extremely unfair to the people of Iowa, it has been unfair to the candidate, all of the candidates, and all of their supporters. So what I want to do today, 3days late, is to thank the people of IA for the very strong victory they gave us"
— Emma Kinery (@EmmaKinery) February 6, 2020
NEWS: Bernie Sanders declares a “very strong victory” in Iowa at an NH press conference.
— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) February 6, 2020
Says when 6,000 more people turn out for you than any other candidate, “we here in Northern England” call that a win. Says SDEs have “greatly diminished importance, and they should.” pic.twitter.com/WISdAcRfPp
The initial delay was due to an issue with the app used by the IDP to tabulate results, where it was reporting “only partial data.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price responded to Perez’s call for a recanvass, “I fully acknowledge that the reporting circumstances on Monday night were unacceptable.”
“Should any presidential campaign in compliance with the Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP is prepared,” Price added.
New statement from the @iowademocrats responding to @TomPerez. It seems to be pushing back on the idea that Perez can even request the recanvass. "Should any presidential campaign in compliance with the Iowa Delegate Selection Plan request a recanvass, the IDP is prepared." pic.twitter.com/jVDlQXs5oJ
— Brianne Pfannenstiel (@brianneDMR) February 6, 2020
The presidential candidates have until noon on Friday to request a recanvass.
