NATIONWIDE - All fingers are pointing to a mobile app for causing the problems and delays in revealing the Iowa Caucus results.

  • Shadow app behind Iowa Caucus ruckus
  • Problems with transmitting caucus results to party leaders
  • Shadow apologized for the delay
  • More Decision 2020 stories

The company that built the app also got paid by the Nevada Democratic Party to tally results for their upcoming caucuses.

On Tuesday, Nevada officials announced they will no longer use the app.

What is the app and how was it supposed to work?

In theory, elections officials simply had to enter in the numbers, as opposed to calling in by phone the results.

That did not happen.

Here's what did happen.

According to the Iowa Democratic Party, a "coding issue" gave out partial data.

Officials then switched to manual counts, which took longer.

And there was not enough training using the app before Monday.

The problem was not a hack.

 

 

The underlying data and collection process using the app was also accurate, according to the app maker.

“Our process to transmit that caucus results data generated via the app to the IDP was not,” tweeted the company.

The app is made by a company called Shadow Inc.

Their website says Shadow is led by campaign and tech veterans of Hillary for America and Obama for America.

The Shadow app is funded in part by a non-profit called ACRONYM.

On their website, they mention the group merely invested in Shadow.

But a look back at the website shows ACRONYM in “January 2019 launched Shadow.”

They're distancing themselves from the controversy.

Shadow tweeted an apology for all the mess.

 

 

“We sincerely regret the delay in the reporting of the results of last night’s Iowa caucuses and the uncertainty it has caused to the candidates, their campaigns, and Democratic caucus-goers.”

Shadow was also taking in money from other clients.

According to Federal Elections Commission filings Mayor Pete Buttigieg's campaign paid more than $42,000 for “software rights and subscriptions.”

The Biden campaign paid more than $1,000 for text messaging services.