The Iowa caucus that took place Monday ended with confusion as the events held that day were disordered.

The purpose of a caucus is to organize gatherings of neighbors where Democrats can meet with their precinct for the upcoming election, discuss important issues and declare their presidential preference. This 2020 Iowa caucus, however, kicked off with the results delayed.

With the delay of the Iowa caucus results, many would consider this first Democratic caucus a dud. Here are five reasons why this Iowa Caucus probably does matter.

1. The DNC used a new app to count caucus votes.

Sometimes, technology is our friend. And other times, it’s meant to destroy us. In the case of the Iowa caucus, a new mobile application used to count votes malfunctioned.

The app in question is called Shadow. The Iowa Democratic Party is blaming delays on a coding issue, which has been resolved. The reporting of the outcome caucuses with results will be released "as soon as possible," The Des Moines Register reported.

It does not help that Shadow was barely tested at the time of voting, according to Bloomberg, leaving the impression the buggy app got hacked.

Furthermore, Shadow Inc., the company behind the Shadow app, is currently looking for a "Client Success Representative" to help support the campaigns and organizations using Shadow’s suite of products.

It goes to show Shadow Inc. was not prepared if they’re still looking for applicants specifically tasked with  "responding to incoming requests for help, managing the client-facing help center."  

"We have every indication that our systems were secure, and there was not a cybersecurity intrusion," Iowa Democratic Party Chair Troy Price said in a statement to the Associated Press.

Price said cybersecurity consultants tested the systems in preparation for the caucuses. Nevada Democrats have already said that they will not use the Shadow app for their primary on February 22. 

2. Precinct captains had trouble calling in results

Precinct captains, the people tasked with reporting their local precinct's results to Iowa's Democratic Party, struggled to send tallies.

It is bad enough the party was using a poorly tested app for counting votes, but when the people in charge of counting are incompetent in keeping score, one could question the seriousness of the first caucus.

And there is no excuse for a buggy app. Because caucusing is a social event, verified by in-person witnesses, paper backups and photos, there is no way the results could be changed through the app without someone noticing, according to CBS.

3. Buttigieg declared himself the winner before any results were in.

Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg claimed victory in Monday night's Iowa caucuses before the Iowa Democratic Party released any official results.

"What a night. Because tonight, an improbable hope became an undeniable reality," Buttigieg told his supporters Monday night in Des Moines, Iowa.

Buttigieg's confidence in his unverified victory stems from his campaign's internal data from the Iowa caucuses.

As of now, there is no official word on who won, but if Buttigieg's claims are wrong, he might have to organize his campaign better.

Buttigieg appears to have ties to Shadow Inc. According to filings from the Federal Election Commission, he donated $42,500 to the company last year.

Most damning is Shadow Inc. Conservative pundits claim its CEO and co-founder Gerard Niemira is married to Pete Buttigieg's digital director. This claim remains unverified.

Buttigieg's celebration got mocked and rose concerns.


4. There is a lack of information to the press from DNC or Iowa DNC. 

The Democratic National Committee and Iowa's Democratic Party owe the voters in Iowa an explanation other than blaming an app.

It has been more than 15 hours since the Iowa caucuses began, and yet, no confirmed results.

How did this happen? Who is responsible for this incident? What measures are being taken to prevent this from happening again? How can we expect a fair and accurate count of votes if there were so many mishaps?

The debacle has hurt the reputation of the DNC, and some on social media are calling for the resignation of its head chair Tom Perez.

A petition for Tom Perez's resignation, as of reporting, has been signed 14,818 times out its 15,000 benchmarks. This is in less than one day.

5. The New Hampshire caucus became more important.

The Iowa caucus was a bust. So, it’s on to the next caucus which is in New Hampshire.
The bad reception from the delay in votes had done more than caused frustration within the presidential candidates. Its uncertainty effectively makes the New Hampshire caucus appear better with expectations being higher.

Undoubtedly, the caucus organizers in New Hampshire are looking at this caucus and would be inclined to guarantee more security.

The hype is especially real between former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire, polling at 18% and 24%, respectively, according to The Hill.

Officials say the results for the Iowa caucus will be in at 4 p.m. Central Time. 

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