Senator Bernie Sanders on Monday requested a partial recanvass of the results from the Iowa caucuses after the final numbers showed Sanders in second place
“While a recanvass is just the first step in the process and we don’t expect it to change the current calculations, it is a necessary part of making sure Iowans can trust the final results of the caucus,” read a statement from Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders.
The Vermont senator garnered 26.1 percent of the vote, a hair behind former South Bend, Ind. mayor Pete Buttigieg, who received 26.2 percent. Sanders and Buttigieg both declared victory.
The Sanders campaign is quarreling over one delegate, saying Sanders would be awarded one more if “errors” in the voting count process are corrected. The campaign is asking for a recanvass of 25 precincts and three satellite caucuses.
The caucuses devolved into chaos on Monday of last week as hours passed with few reported results from the state Democratic party, which cited “inconsistencies” in reporting from local precincts and glitches with the new smartphone app being used to report results. The app’s failure led to a slew of additional problems, including tied up phone lines as precinct managers attempted to get through to state party officials to report results.
The botched and delayed results provoked scathing criticism from both Republicans and Democrats. Democratic National Committee Tom Perez called on the Iowa Democratic Party on Friday to immediately begin a recanvass.
“Our volunteers and supporters worked too hard, and too many people participated for the first time to have the results depend on calculations that even the party admits are incorrect,” Weaver continued. “Once the recanvass and a subsequent recount are completed in these precincts, we feel confident we will be awarded the extra national delegate our volunteers and grassroots donors earned.”
As the results stood Monday morning, Buttigieg won the caucuses with 14 delegates, Sanders took second with 12 delegates, Senator Elizabeth Warren received eight, former vice president Joe Biden was awarded six, and Senator Amy Klobuchar took just one delegate.