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A4 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 13 February 2020

Iowa Democratic Party chairman resigns after caucus chaos

By ALEXANDRA JAFFE more difficult." of what caused the de-
Associated Press He said his departure lays. He apologized for the
WASHINGTON (AP) — The would occur as soon as breakdown in the process.
chairman of the Iowa Dem- the state party elects a re- Both Buttigieg's and Sand-
ocratic Party announced placement, and he called ers' campaigns requested
his resignation Wednesday an emergency Saturday a partial recanvass of the
after a disastrous caucus meeting to do so. Iowa results, which the
process beset by techni- After a breakdown in tal- Iowa Democratic Party ap-
cal glitches led to a day- lying the results on Feb. 3, proved. The party says it
slong delay in reporting the it took until Feb. 6 for the expects the recanvass of
results, inconsistencies in state party, which operates more than 80 precincts to
the numbers and no clear the series of roughly 1,700 begin on Sunday and last
winner. The embarrassing local meetings statewide, two days. A recanvass is
episode also threatened to issue what it said are not a recount, but a check
Iowa's cherished status as complete results. of the vote count against
the first voting contest of Iowa Democratic Party chairman Troy Price speaks to members In those figures, released paper records created by
the presidential primary of the media during a news conference, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, by the party, former South caucus leaders to ensure
season and led both front- in Des Moines, Iowa. Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete the counts were reported
runners to request a partial Associated Press Buttigieg leads Vermont accurately.
recanvass of the results. responsibility for any fail- in this role and see this pro- Sen. Bernie Sanders by two The party has said it will
"The fact is that Democrats ures on behalf of the Iowa cess through to comple- state delegate equivalents not change mistakes in the
deserved better than what Democratic Party," Price tion, I do believe it is time out of 2,152 counted. That math and the only oppor-
happened on caucus wrote in a resignation let- for the Iowa Democratic is a margin of 0.09 percent- tunity to correct it would be
night. As chair of this party, ter a week and a half after Party to begin looking for- age points. a recount, which would be
I am deeply sorry for what Iowa's caucuses. ward, and my presence in The Associated Press said the candidates' next op-
happened and bear the "While it is my desire to stay my current role makes that it was unable to declare tion after the recanvass is
a winner, based on the completed.
available information. The Price was elected to his
results as reported by the second term as chairman
Iowa Democratic Party, of the state party in De-
the AP believes, may not cember 2018. In a state-
be fully accurate. ment released after his
Price had called the de- reelection, he noted that
lays in reporting results "un- he was "incredibly proud"
acceptable." He said the of the success that Iowa
party would conduct a Democrats had in the 2018
"thorough, transparent and midterms and looked for-
independent examination" ward to building on it. q