The DNC throws confusion in the caucuses of Iowa and Nevada

policy

The DNC recommended rejecting plans for "virtual caucuses" to increase voter turnout in Iowa and Nevada, citing cybersecurity issues.

The Democrats of Iowa and Nevada were steaming Friday after the National Democratic Committee (NEC) recommended proposals that would aim to make caucuses in both states more accessible and increase turnout in 2020.

While the leaders of the states of Nevada and Iowa have expressed confidence that the decision of the DNC would not disrupt the conduct of their presidential caucus to 2020, five officials close to the caucus preparations in both states expressed in private their dismay at the late decision to abandon it. – Called "virtual caucuses", which were in preparation – with the participation of the DNC – since early spring.

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The proposed telephone voting system in Iowa and Nevada was supposed to meet a new DNC requirement to improve accessibility during the 2020 caucuses. This was done after years of complaints from the proportion of voters from caucus states who declared they wanted to vote but who, because of labor or physical conflict, were unable to attend long and complicated events, which often last for hours. The virtual proposal aimed to attract these voters, as the Democrats hoped to increase voter turnout in 2020 and devote maximum grassroots energy to selecting a candidate to face President Donald Trump.

But two sources close to the discussions on the DNC said that while the virtual proposals were under consideration, DNC security experts were able to hack a conference call involving the committee and both parts of Nevada and the US. Iowa, raising new questions about safety.

Officials in Iowa, however, say that this system was not comparable to the technology in the study for caucuses. The Democratic leaders of both states expressed frustration at having striven to develop plans and publish them publicly early in the year.

"What is amazing is that the DNC insisted on expanding access to caucus, and then when the State Party put forward a plan to expand access, it used leaks and innuendo to undermine the process. Said Jeff Link, an Iowa-based Democrat. consultant who has long contributed to the management of Iowa caucuses.

Link accused the DNC of leaked a story last week outside a closed committee in San Francisco. "All this idea that their system had been hacked and that it was a security risk – there was no system in place yet", he declares.

A Nevada Democrat, who asked not to be named, said the DNC had already reviewed the state plan before making it public in March.

"To say that it's unbelievable would be an understatement," said the person.

A DNC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

"Unfortunately, the DNC has advised not to continue this process because of threats to our democratic infrastructure and Republicans' inaction to prevent further attacks in the next election cycle," said the chairman of the Democratic Party of Canada. Nevada, William McCurdy II.

The DNC is particularly vulnerable to cyber attacks after Russian agents have hacked its systems during the 2016 presidential race. FBI officials have repeatedly warned that the 2020 elections were equally vulnerable to similar attacks, including from foreign countries.

It is unclear exactly how the Iowa and Nevada caucuses will progress while meeting the accessibility requirements of the DNC.

Although asking for a waiver for not complying with the requirement is an option, Price said that he did not expect Democrats in Iowa to embark on this path at the moment. A Democratic close to the process in Nevada said he was confident that the party's proposal to institute four days of early voting in this region would meet the accessibility requirement, even with the removal of the virtual caucus.

At the same time, many campaigns asked Friday the DNC to stick to its plan to increase accessibility.

"The DNC rejected plans to increase participation in the first national caucus," Julián Castro said Friday on Twitter. "I urge the DNC to adhere to the values ​​of our party and to allow absentee voting, through a virtual caucus, a mailing or a voting process." anticipated. "

In private, however, the assistants of several campaigns said sigh of relief. The virtual configuration has introduced a new counting and reporting system, introducing into the already complex caucus process an element of the unknown that could have blurred a clear narrative coming out of Iowa next year, said the advisors.

The Iowa Democrats on Friday promised that the DNC's decision would not jeopardize Iowa's status as the nation's first caucus state.

"Just know this: on February 3, 2020, caucuses will be held in this state. Iowa will be the first, "said Democratic Party President Troy Price at a news conference.

"I am confident that we will find something that will expand accessibility in this process," said Price. "I will not speculate on these alternatives."

Price said he spoke Friday with DNC President Tom Perez, who had personally assured him that the decision would not jeopardize Iowa's place in the 2020 calendar.

"The president assured us that we would be first," said Price. "We will be a caucus and we will be first."