Iowa caucus precinct officials report struggles with app

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How will Iowa play out for 2020 Democrats?

Candidates hold events across the state; USA Today White House correspondent John Fritze weighs in.

Some precinct chairs at several sites across Iowa have said that they are unable to download and log in to a new phone app designed to simplify the process of reporting voter tabulations from the first Democratic primary of the season.

The app was intended to replace the usual system of reporting voter results by telephone -- a process where local caucus officials from the nearly 1,700 polling sites in the state call a hotline and read the results to officials from the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP).

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The IDP says the old system has worked fine in the past, and they do not expect a delay in reporting results.

“We’ve always been able to report results through the hotline so we’re not concerned about a serious delay,” a senior IDP official told Fox News on Monday.

Caucus leaders received training on how to use the app, which would also simplify the math that calculates which of the candidates meet the 15 percent threshold necessary to make them a viable party nominee, weeks ahead of the first night of early voting in the country, the IDP said.

“The IDP is working with any precinct chairs who want to use the optional tabulation application to make sure they are comfortable with it," Mandy McClure, IDP Communications Director told Fox News on Monday. "We've always been aware that many precinct chairs prefer to call in results via a secure hotline, and have systems in place so they can do so."

Despite issues with the app, the IDP said there are also many backup systems in place, including a paper trail established when caucus-goers receive and complete a physical numbered presidential preference card to document their choice, that ensure that voter tabulation is efficient and accurate and the results can be reviewed and verified as needed.

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Fox Business' Hillary Vaughn contributed to this report.