DNC chair seeks recanvass in Iowa

‘ Enough is enough,’ says Perez as reports go on

DES MOINES, Iowa The top official of the Democratic Party said on Thursday that he wants the Iowa Democratic Party to recanvass results of its caucus results following extensive delays in reporting results and inaccurate information being released.

Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, made the request publicly on Twitter.

“Enough is enough. In light of the problems that have emerged in the implementation of the delegate selection plan and in order to assure public confidence in the results, I am calling on the Iowa Democratic Party to immediately begin a recanvass,” Perez tweeted.

The tweet is in response to delayed reporting of caucus results. The results have slowly trickled in. On Wednesday. the Iowa Democratic Party said it had reported inaccurate information.

Perez followed his tweet with another saying, “A recanvass is a review of the worksheets from each caucus site to ensure accuracy. The IDP will continue to report results.”

According to a 21- page caucus recanvass and recount manual the Iowa Democratic Party prepared before Monday’s caucus began, presidential campaigns can request a recanvass of results by sending Iowa party chairman Troy Price a letter by noon Friday.

The manual does not say explicitly that a DNC chair can request a recanvass – it lists only presidential campaigns as possible requesters.

“Requests must present credible evidence suggesting that results were misreported or erroneously counted,” the manual said.

A committee will validate the requests, according to the manual, and include the cost “assessed to the candidate in order to complete the recanvass.”

The manual says that the recanvass will occur in a space procured by the Iowa Democratic Party and that “the recanvass room will be open to campaign staff observers.”

The recanvass will include an examination of caucus math worksheets and presidential preference cards and “inconsistencies are declared if results on official precinct or satellite forms are different from the results reported through the caucus reporting tool or by telephone,” the manual said.

Pointing to the initial popular vote totals in Monday’s caucuses, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I- Vt., declared victory Thursday, even as the state party continues to struggle with processing the results.

“It has been unfair to the candidates, all of the candidates, and all of their supporters,” Sanders said of the delay in getting complete results during a news conference in Manchester, New Hampshire. “So what I want to do today,” Sanders continued, “is to thank the people of Iowa for the very strong victory they gave us.”

Sanders pointed out that with 97% of precincts reporting, his campaign is leading by some 6,000 votes in the popular vote tally from the initial alignment at the caucuses.

“In other words, some 6,000 more Iowans came out on Monday night to support our candidacy than the candidacy of anyone else,” Sanders said, adding “we here in northern New England call that a victory.”

Based on current partial results, former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg leads by just 3 state delegate equivalents, which correlate eventually with national pledged delegates, the metric used to declare a winner in previous caucuses. And Sanders and Buttigieg are currently tied in the national delegate tally.

“The IDP will continue to report results.” Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee