What Did — And Didn’t — Go Down In The Iowa Caucuses

The precinct I’m observing is running pretty far behind, Geoffrey, and it doesn’t seem to be technology-related, although there have been reports of “online confusion” with the app. Although I’m an observer with no special insight into what’s happening behind the scenes, the issue here seems to be 1) the lines were long and we got started late, and 2) the process is just really analog and hard to speed up. There’s no way to pass out cards more quickly, or herd people into groups more efficiently. So it seems quite easy for things to get bogged down.

It’s worth noting that there is a chance that the reason we don’t have results yet has to do with an app. This year, precinct chairs were able to use a smartphone app to tally results and send them in to the Iowa Democratic Party. But earlier today, there were reports of chairs having issues with the app, including trouble downloading and confusion about its functionality. There’s a chance that those technical difficulties have led to a slight delay. Luckily, chairs have a backup option, the same old-fashioned technology they’ve used for decades: calling in through a secure hotline.

One reason for the nationalization of politics that Julia mentioned — and I also can’t recommend Dan Hopkins’ book enough (hi, Dan!) — is the ongoing decline of local media. The Des Moines Register, however, clearly benefits from national interest in the caucuses, and its job is made a little easier tonight by the fact that Des Moines-55 caucus is located in their lobby.