In 2012, Mitt Romney celebrated a bit prematurely after being declared the winner of the Iowa caucus. While the state party initially declared the former Maryland governor the victor by eight votes, reports soon surfaced showing that not all votes had been tallied. A recount revealed Rick Santorum as the real winner, by a razor-thin 34 votes.
The voting debacle was an embarrassment for the disorganized Iowa Republican party, who had to answer for the fact that they lost votes in the first political test of the season. Getting Iowa right, it goes without saying, is imperative, since it sets the tone for the rest of the election.
This year, the party is intent on avoiding a rerun.
State party officials say they’ve moved aggressively to address the problems that plagued the ballot count in January 2012 and believe the new technologies they’ve adopted, as well as having more workers on staff and enhanced training programs, will pave the way for a smooth and accurate reckoning at the Feb. 1. caucuses.
“We’re extremely confident that we’ve addressed all of the issues,” said Iowa Republican Party spokesman Charlie Szold.
The new technology the party plans to employ includes a reporting phone app, which officials say will guarantee results within 48 hours, reports The Hill.
With this modernized effort, combined with dozens of training sessions and a beefed up operations team, the Iowa Republican Party is confident the caucus will go on without a hitch for 2016.
As for how the race in Iowa is shaping up for next year's presidential election, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has just edged past Trump, taking 24 percent of the vote to the latter's 19 percent. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) is in third with 17 percent.