Iowa Caucus Results Delayed Amid Technical Glitches In Voting App

The Iowa Democratic Party said it plans to release the results of the state's presidential caucuses on Tuesday after its app had technical problems that forced a delay in releasing the outcome.

In an election that's being closely watched for signs of interference, the delay made many Iowans and political watchers nervous — and raised fears it could be a harbinger of issues to come in the 2020 election.

But a spokeswoman for the state's Democratic Party told The New York Times the problem was technical. 

“This is not a hack or an intrusion,” the spokeswoman told the Times.

Party officials were planning to use photos of results and a paper record to validate the results.

Candidates are vying for 41 delegates, a small percentage of the nearly 2,000 delegates needed to claim the Democratic nomination to challenge incumbent Republican President Donald Trump in the fall. 

Democratic candidates actively campaigning in Iowa included Sen. Amy Klobuchar; entrepreneur Andrew Yang; Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, former vice president Joe Biden, former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg and investor Tom Steyer.

Even without results posted, several candidates addressed supporters on Monday night and claimed to do well, but several had also moved on Tuesday to New Hampshire, the site of the next primary. 

The Washington Post reported the Iowa party's app malfunctioned for users across the state as caucus sites tried to report results to the state party.

Precinct leaders and county chairmen reported problems downloading the app, difficulty logging in and poor connectivity, according to the Post. 

With fears of interference already embedded in Americans' minds, officials were having to debunk rumors. 

Iowa's Republican secretary of state disputed a viral report alleging eight Iowa counties had total registration rates larger than their eligible voting population.

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News that the federal government hasn't seen any malicious cyberactivity. 

"No one hacked into it," Wolf said. "This is more of a stress or a load issue and more of a reporting issue we’re seeing in Iowa.”

Related Links:

Insights Into S&P 500 Performance During Presidential Elections

Trump Headed For Speedy Acquittal After Senate Votes Against Additional Witnesses

A precinct in Des Moines, Iowa during the 2016 caucus. Photo by Phil Roeder via Wikimedia.