'A complete disaster': Fears grow over potential Nevada caucus malfunction

[RandySF]

Anxiety is rising over the possibility of another tech-induced meltdown at the Nevada Democratic caucuses on Saturday.

In interviews, three caucus volunteers described serious concerns about rushed preparations for the Feb. 22 election, including insufficient training for a newly-adopted electronic vote-tally system and confusing instructions on how to administer the caucuses. There are also unanswered questions about the security of Internet connections at some 2,000 precinct sites that will transmit results to a central “war room” set up by the Nevada Democratic Party.

Some volunteers who will help run caucuses at precinct locations said they have not been trained on iPads that the party purchased to enter and transmit vote counts. Party officials scrambled to streamline their vote reporting system — settling on Google forms accessible through a saved link on the iPads — after scrapping a pair of apps they’d been planning to use until a similar app caused the fiasco in Iowa two weeks ago.

The volunteers also said the party has not provided sufficient training on how to use the Google form that will compile vote totals, a complicated process in a caucus.

The concerns, which were described on condition of anonymity because the volunteers are not authorized to speak to reporters, come at a perilous moment for the Democratic Party. As the third state on the primary calendar and the first with a significant minority population, Nevada holds huge importance in the nomination contest. The debacle in Iowa cost one state party chairman his job and threatened the standing of the national party chairman, while casting doubts about whether the results from party-run caucuses can be trusted.



https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/16/nevada-avoid-iowa-caucus-mess-115437

[highplainsdem]

1. Oh, no...

[Baked Potato]

2. Go to Staples and print out some forms, put an X in a box and add them up

The quest for lightning fast results has spawned failure. Just take the time and tally it up.

[Laelth]

3. High tech elections SUCK.

Paper ballots that are hand-delivered is the only safe way to go. Yes. It might take a little longer. On the other hand, it may actually be faster.

Good luck, Nevada.

-Laelth

[Wellstone ruled]

4. Lets get this straight.

As a Caucus goer for decades,yesterday ran damn smooth. Yes,at the opening there was some glitches I was told and that was about procedure as to how people were to be signed in and info validated. Other than that,the I-Pads are similiar to the ones we used on any regular Election Day. They have the Voter Registration Roles directly from the Secretary of States Office and are more updated I-Pad than what was used two years ago.

So if someone had a issue,they best tell us directly or park this Political Story in the nearest Bathroom Trash can.

[RandySF]

5. I think they're worried about Saturday.

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Yesterday ran darn smooth

as per the Volunteers at our Polling Station. Four of which I have volunteered with on three different go a rounds. One mentioned Campaigners were in violation of Voting day rules about being within the 300 feet of the Polling operation. If that is what happened,that is a normal thing,and yes you will get someone who is a total butt head when asked to move.

[jmg257]

7. Why worry? It's a "tool", not an "app".

The volunteer received no hands-on training with the iPads before handling one physically for the first time at an early-voting site on Saturday. As a result, the first two hours of early voting were “disastrous,” the person said, as volunteers struggled to get iPads to function properly and connect to the Internet.

[judeling]

8. They are getting a beta test right now.

Any of these issues can be resolved by the time the day arrives. We are Democrats so we worry. But, the absolute incentive to get this right from top to bottom will insure there is enough resources available.

I'm not to worried.

[tritsofme]

9. This needs to be the last cycle for caucuses, never again.

These undemocratic and exclusionary relics need to be retired.

[showblue22]

10. Thank you .

Why did Bernie plead with some states to keep their caucus?

[ChubbyStar]

14. Who knows, why don't you call him and ask?

Nice profile.....

[rockfordfile]

11. This has all the making of un-American right-wing muddling

[squirecam]

13. It's going to be easier to tell I think.

2016 had 80k
2008 had 120k

If we get over 2008 turnout, and little turnout in the republican caucus, that shows that They crossed over.

[cwydro]

12. Heard something on npr about this earlier.

It didn’t give me confidence.

[LAS14]

15. Non tech people or over-confident young tech people....

... making decisions about how "it'll be fine," and "chill out," and not having a bird of an idea about the number of people who simply aren't comfortable with garage ticket machines, never mind Google forms, declaring that this is how it will be.

I agree with the person who suggested getting a bunch of copies of a ballot with check boxes at staples and then adding them up. Why do the results have to be instant? Stupid, stupid decision making.

[dustyscamp]

16. We really don't need another malfunction