Free Republic

An institute that studies election security criticized the Nevada Democratic Party for planning to use a digital tool for its caucuses, arguing that Nevada was likely to run into many of the same issues that Iowa did with its voting app last week. The Open Source Election Technology (OSET) Institute began its Twitter thread Sunday with a link to a story from The Nevada Independent, which detailed how the Nevada Democratic Party (NDP) will be using a digital "tool" on the day of that state's caucuses on February 22. The Independent reported that NDP staffers made a distinction between its...

The hiring of a top presidential candidate’s staff member to a position within the Nevada Democratic Party has increased scrutiny of the party as it works to put together a contingency plan for its Feb. 22 caucuses. Dozens of Twitter users — most identified as supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders — on Sunday accused the Democratic Party of corruption and hurled insults at Emily Goldman, who was hired as the party’s Voter Protection Director in January. Many called for Goldman and Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez to be fired. Screenshots of Goldman’s Linkedin account noted she worked as an...

Nikki van den Heever, a caucus precinct captain for former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, tried to talk down an Iowa woman who was incensed to find out — in real-time during a caucus after she’d signed a card supporting him — that the candidate is openly gay. “Are you saying that he has the same-sex partner? Pete?” the woman says in the clip, which was posted to both Twitter and Reddit early Tuesday morning. “Yes,” van den Heever responds. “Are you kidding?” the woman says, and upon being told Mayor Pete is married, says “Then I don’t want anybody...

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg declared himself the winner in Iowa after technical glitches and snafus prevented the state party from announcing any caucus results Monday night. Buttigieg, who was hoping to get a boost out of the nation's first caucus state to drive past more seasoned rivals, went beyond any of the other Democratic presidential contenders his his caucus-night speech. 'We don't know all of the results. But we do know that by the time it's all said and done, Iowa: you have shocked the nation. Because by all indications we are going on to New Hampshire victorious,' Buttigieg...

DES MOINES, Iowa — A technical meltdown in Iowa Monday night set off bedlam in the critical first contest for the Democratic presidential nomination, triggering competing claims of victory and stoking doubts about the legitimacy of the eventual outcome. No results had been reported by midnight Eastern, and two campaigns told POLITICO that after a conference call with the Iowa Democratic Party, they didn’t expect any returns until Tuesday morning at the earliest.Candidates stepped into the void. Pete Buttigieg went first by claiming victory — misleadingly, in the view of Sanders, whose campaign responded by releasing unofficial figures showing his...