Nevada Dems planning to use similar app linked to Iowa caucus mess

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Cybersecurity experts ring alarm bells over future caucuses after Iowa app malfunction

The Department of Homeland Security confirms Democrats' Iowa caucus app was not hacked but experts are still raising concerns about the risks of relying on new technology in elections; Gillian Turner reports from Capitol Hill.

For its caucuses later this month, the Nevada Democratic Party (NDP) is planning to use an app similar to the one that contributed to the issues reporting the results of the Iowa caucuses on Monday night — and it has paid almost $60,000 to the same company that developed the Iowa app.

Shadow Inc., a tech firm that describes itself as a group that creates "a permanent advantage for progressive campaigns and causes through technology," is the company that created the Iowa Democratic Party's app, according to The New York Times. The NDP is also planning to use an app to report the results of its caucuses and paid Shadow $58,000 in August.

People wait for results at a caucus night campaign rally for Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/John Locher)

APP USED IN IOWA DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS FIASCO LINKED TO EX-CLINTON CAMPAIGN STAFFERS

The NDP said it is confident that "what happened in the Iowa caucus last night will not happen in Nevada on February 22nd," and denied that it would, "be employing the same app or vendor used in the Iowa caucus."

It is unclear what exactly the NDP's almost $60,000 payment to Shadow was for if it was not for the app the NDP will use to report votes, but the NDP is planning to use two apps for its caucuses, according to The Nevada Independent. One app will be used to record the preferences of early voters, and a separate but linked app will be used on caucus day by precinct chairs, The Independent previously reported.

Shadow apologized for the technical difficulties in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday.

Like Iowa, Nevada's Democratic Party is instituting paper backups in case there are technical issues and the NDP's caucus director told The Independent that it has worked with the Democratic National Committee to test the app for security.

Neither Shadow nor the NDP immediately responded to requests for comment about what products or services the NDP for.

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Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News Tuesday morning that the DHS had offered to test the Iowa app's security to ensure that it could not be hacked, but the IDP declined. Wolf, however, made clear that there was no indication that the app was hacked, but rather that the issue was the app's ability to handle a high load of users at the same time.

Shadow is also connected to a variety of former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers. At least the COO, CEO, CTO and a senior product manager at Shadow all worked for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign, according to LinkedIn profiles.

According to Federal Election Commission records, Shadow has also received payments from the Texas Democratic Party and the Wisconsin Democratic Party, although the payments are significantly smaller than NDP's and appear to be for a texting service that Shadow offers, not software.