Iowa Caucuses Delayed by Technical Problems
2020-02-05
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1Every four years, the state of Iowa presents the first test for American presidential candidates as they try to become their party's nominee.
2Iowa caucuses are gatherings of party member who vote for the presidential candidate they prefer.
3Iowa is important; it is the first such vote in a presidential election year.
4Results in Iowa can sometimes help predict who will go on to become the nominee.
5Historically, the party's eventual nominee is usually one of the top three candidates in Iowa.
6In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the Iowa caucuses.
7Later that year, she became the Democratic Party's presidential candidate.
8Among Republicans that year, Donald Trump was among the top three candidates for his party.
9On Monday, however, Democratic Party organizers in Iowa faced a problem they never had before.
10Party workers used a new mobile application (app) to gather vote numbers.
11The goal of the app was to make it easier to get results from about 1,700 places across the state where voting was taking place.
12It was supposed to help officials collect information more quickly.
13Instead, Democratic Party officials say, the app did not work.
14So, workers had to count paper documents by hand.
15Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price has noted that hacking was not the cause of the delays.
16The problems were an embarrassment for the state, which has protected its position as the first state to hold a vote for party presidential candidates.
17Organizers who were operating voting places did not get to test the app before Monday's vote.
18Iowa party officials had said they would not make the new mobile app available until just before the caucuses to prevent interference.
19But some officials had trouble using the app.
20Party worker Jonathan Green chaired a voting place in Lone Tree.
21He said when he tried to put results into the app he got the message: "Unknown protocol."
22The delay was made worse because the party was seeking to report different sets of data.
23It included the first total of votes and a second total after voters had the chance to change their votes.
24Later Tuesday, Democratic Party officials released results showing Independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, and former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg with nearly equal support.
25The Republican Party also held Iowa caucuses on Monday night.
26Ninety-seven percent of Republican Party voters chose Trump as their candidate.
27The next vote for party presidential nominees takes place on February 11 in the state of New Hampshire.
28I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1Every four years, the state of Iowa presents the first test for American presidential candidates as they try to become their party's nominee. 2Iowa caucuses are gatherings of party member who vote for the presidential candidate they prefer. 3Iowa is important; it is the first such vote in a presidential election year. Results in Iowa can sometimes help predict who will go on to become the nominee. Historically, the party's eventual nominee is usually one of the top three candidates in Iowa. 4In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the Iowa caucuses. Later that year, she became the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Among Republicans that year, Donald Trump was among the top three candidates for his party. 5On Monday, however, Democratic Party organizers in Iowa faced a problem they never had before. Party workers used a new mobile application (app) to gather vote numbers. The goal of the app was to make it easier to get results from about 1,700 places across the state where voting was taking place. It was supposed to help officials collect information more quickly. 6Instead, Democratic Party officials say, the app did not work. So, workers had to count paper documents by hand. 7Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price has noted that hacking was not the cause of the delays. 8The problems were an embarrassment for the state, which has protected its position as the first state to hold a vote for party presidential candidates. 9Organizers who were operating voting places did not get to test the app before Monday's vote. Iowa party officials had said they would not make the new mobile app available until just before the caucuses to prevent interference. 10But some officials had trouble using the app. 11Party worker Jonathan Green chaired a voting place in Lone Tree. He said when he tried to put results into the app he got the message: "Unknown protocol." 12The delay was made worse because the party was seeking to report different sets of data. It included the first total of votes and a second total after voters had the chance to change their votes. 13Later Tuesday, Democratic Party officials released results showing Independent Senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders, and former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Pete Buttigieg with nearly equal support. 14The Republican Party also held Iowa caucuses on Monday night. Ninety-seven percent of Republican Party voters chose Trump as their candidate. 15The next vote for party presidential nominees takes place on February 11 in the state of New Hampshire. 16I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 17Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this story from Associated Press and VOA News reports for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 18_______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20hacking -n. the act of secretly getting into a computer system to take information or cause damage 21protocol -n. a system of rules that explain the correct way to do something