Iowa Democrats Award Delegates Despite Potential Errors In Results

The Iowa Democratic Party projected Sunday that Pete Buttigieg will win the state’s caucuses, though several news organizations are declining to declare a winner because of a series of technical glitches and tabulation errors that have marred the results.

The party said in a statement that Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is projected to win 14 delegates, while Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will win 12. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden are projected to be awarded eight and six delegates, respectively.

Sanders led the field in terms of raw votes, but caucus rules gave Buttigieg a slight lead in terms of the number of delegates.

The Associated Press, The New York Times and NBC News declined to declare a winner following the Iowa Democratic Party’s update, citing numerous errors since the caucuses were held six days previously.

The results were initially delayed because of a glitch in a phone app that IDP planned to use to make it easier to report votes from the state’s 1,765 precincts. The New York Times also reported tabulation errors at dozens of precincts.

Both Sanders and Buttigieg declared victory in the caucuses. Sanders has cited his win in terms of raw votes, while Buttigieg is pointing to his slight edge in terms of delegates.

Campaigns will have until noon Monday to challenge the caucus results. Sanders said in an interview on CNN on Sunday, before IDP announced its projection, that the numerous errors were an “embarrassment” for the party.