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Eugene

(61,964 posts)
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 07:46 AM Feb 2020

Here's a List of Everything That Went Wrong at the Iowa Caucuses

Source: New York Times

Here’s a List of Everything That Went Wrong at the Iowa Caucuses

By Lauren Leatherby, Lazaro Gamio and Keith Collins
Feb. 4, 2020

An untested technology, novel reporting requirements, nearly a dozen competitors to tally across 1,600 precincts — what could go wrong? As the Iowa Democratic Party discovered Monday night, nearly everything.

A faulty smartphone app was at the center of a chaotic caucus night in Iowa, but technical glitches were not the only reasons behind a major delay in results from the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential contest. Here’s a look at all the problems.

The app was new and relatively untested.

The Iowa Democratic Party commissioned Shadow Inc., a for-profit technology company, to build an app in less than two months to help report results from around the state.

The short development timeline for the app and lack of rigorous vetting may have rendered it more vulnerable to problems with its code. It was not tested statewide before the votes.

-snip-

Volunteers were unfamiliar with the new system.

Training on how to use the app was available before the caucuses.

Not everyone took advantage of it, leaving the process unfamiliar to many caucus chairs on caucus night. Users reported trouble downloading the app, which was not available on either the Apple or Android app stores and required a cumbersome installation process.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/04/us/politics/iowa-democratic-caucus-explained.html
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
7 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Here's a List of Everything That Went Wrong at the Iowa Caucuses (Original Post) Eugene Feb 2020 OP
Yes, but other than those things Sherman A1 Feb 2020 #1
What exactly was the function of this App? at140 Feb 2020 #2
Well, hell. You could use Google Sheets or Office 365 -- they both have Forms products htuttle Feb 2020 #3
It's not just a client app. There are also the the database systems and connecting infrastructure. Eugene Feb 2020 #4
May be I am an exception? at140 Feb 2020 #7
you know what didnt go wrong????? they had a paper trail.... samnsara Feb 2020 #5
I could be wrong, gab13by13 Feb 2020 #6
 

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)
1. Yes, but other than those things
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 07:48 AM
Feb 2020

It worked swimmingly.......

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

at140

(6,110 posts)
2. What exactly was the function of this App?
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 07:53 AM
Feb 2020

My understanding is, it collected no. of votes for pre-defined names of candidates from all precincts,,
and determine no. of delegates won by each candidate based on votes ,
and add them up, and compute percentages. Add some security measures such as passwords to modify data.

Does not sound like a difficult process.
I could write code for that in 3 days and test it for 2 days, and it will be bullet-proof App.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

htuttle

(23,738 posts)
3. Well, hell. You could use Google Sheets or Office 365 -- they both have Forms products
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 08:18 AM
Feb 2020

Then some other system could use grab the individual totals from Google Sheets in the background, and do whatever totaling it needed to from that.

No need for an 'app'.



If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Eugene

(61,964 posts)
4. It's not just a client app. There are also the the database systems and connecting infrastructure.
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 08:19 AM
Feb 2020

Running a service with hundreds of concurrent users under variable environment conditions with loose user training is never that simple. No responsible software developer promises a bulletproof app, and no manager with two working synapses to rub together deploys a system without realistic testing.

Systems contain hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lines of code. Mistakes and faulty assumptions are inevitable.

Remember the debacle with the initial Obamacare roll out, where the system crashed when more than 6 people tried to use it concurrently.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

at140

(6,110 posts)
7. May be I am an exception?
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 11:57 AM
Feb 2020

During my 37 years working as mechanical engineer, I was responsible for 300 apps for design and manufacturing, and they turned out to be bullet proof. Total lines of code exceeds couple of million lines. I built in so many checks to validate the input by users, no faulty design ever got through and every part machined by computer controlled machine tools was produced perfect. So it can be done with focus, talent and knowledge.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

samnsara

(17,650 posts)
5. you know what didnt go wrong????? they had a paper trail....
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 08:52 AM
Feb 2020

...everyone bitching about caucuses better take a look at your own state. If you still use electronic voting machines you are well on your way to a debacle of your own.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

gab13by13

(21,418 posts)
6. I could be wrong,
Wed Feb 5, 2020, 09:15 AM
Feb 2020

but from what I heard on the TV, was that not all of the precincts followed the correct procedure for the 2nd vote.

Caucuses are like the Electoral college, the person with the most votes doesn't always win.

One person - One vote.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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