It has been almost three weeks since the start of the Democratic primary elections, and the contest is already marred in controversy. We are fresh off the Nevada caucuses which are shaping up to be a resounding victory for Sen. Bernie Sanders. This comes after his outright victory in New Hampshire on Feb. 10. However, there is a far more concerning story in the midst of these contests. As stated previously, the contest for the Democratic nomination has not even left the month of February, and there is already a debacle on the Democrats’ hand — the Iowa caucuses and a disastrous voting app. 

First, let us step back and take a look at the bigger picture. What are the Iowa caucuses? For decades, stretching back to the ‘70s, George McGovern sought to secure the Democratic nomination against Nixon, and candidates sought to make their mark in the first-in-the-nation contest. This created a tradition where candidates sought to define themselves politically by winning the caucuses, such as Barack Obama in 2008 and Jimmy Carter in 1976. The caucuses are also a deeply convoluted process, where candidates squabble over state delegate equivalents, county delegates and final alignment votes. It is crucial to understand because Iowa carries a lot of weight on its shoulders around this time of year, and 2020 was no different. There were about seven serious political contenders vying for victory in Iowa this time around, a fairly large field. A complicated process mixed in with a highly competitive and large primary is a rather dangerous mix, and the week of Feb. 3, that mix exploded. 

At the heart of this controversy is an app, developed by a company aptly named Shadow Inc. The Iowa Democratic Party used an app they developed to report results all across the state. It did not work, and caused chaos. A coding error led to nobody being able to submit results through the app, causing people to rush to the phone lines to share the votes, which in turn lead to a massive jam. The tech failed the people, the process and the countless volunteers who sought to make the caucus a success. The delay caused controversy that lasted for the entirety of the week, leading to the chair of the party resigning. This failure, and the aggrievement it caused so many, has led to renewed questions about the place and status of the Iowa caucuses. 

High ranking politicians such as Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois has called for the caucuses to end. Harry Reid, former Senate Majority Leader and senator for Nevada, has argued that his state, which is more diverse, should take the first spot in the nomination contest and end caucuses as we know them. As it stands, there has been no serious controversies with the New Hampshire primary, with a winner being declared that night and no major irregularities. The recent round of caucuses has put Iowa, and the process in serious hot water. If states that use primaries (such as the upcoming South Carolina primary) have no major controversies, we could see a major shift in how Democrats nominate their candidates.