Tuesday, February 04, 2020
Buttigieg campaign paid firm that developed voting app blamed for Iowa caucus delays
by Spencer Neale
Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's campaign contributed money to the technological firm whose voting app contributed to reporting delays in the Iowa caucuses.
Federal Election Commission filings reveal that Buttigieg's campaign gave tens of thousands of dollars to Shadow on July 23, 2019, for "software rights and subscriptions."
Shadow, a technology company that has an investor in the Democratic digital nonprofit organization ACRONYM, was also paid $60,000 over two installments by the Iowa Democratic Party to build an app to help make caucus voting easier and faster for precinct volunteers. Filings also reveal that the Nevada Democratic Party paid Shadow $58,000 for "website development."
The Iowa Democratic Party scrambled Monday night after precincts experienced trouble downloading and uploading results to the voting app. By 1 a.m. EST Tuesday morning, no results had been released as volunteers attempted to call in the numbers by phone.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, claimed victory before any numbers had been released, publishing a tweet that said he was "going on to New Hampshire victorious."
Pete Buttigieg
@PeteButtigieg
Iowa, you have shocked the nation.
By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious. #IowaCaucuses
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12:24 AM - Feb 4, 2020
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Robby Mook, the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2016 team, denied involvement in the voting app after Twitter users suggested he was behind the app's development. Mook, who reportedly did have a role in preparing a video to alert campaigns of misinformation or hacking, instructed people to contact Iowa Democrats for more information on the botched results.
Robby Mook
@RobbyMook
Sorry, folks. I did NOT have anythjng to do with building the Iowa caucus app. I dont know anything about it, had no role in it, and dont own a company that makes mobile appa. Please contact @iowademocrats with questions about it.
9,012
11:49 PM - Feb 3, 2020
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UPDATE: A spokesman for the Buttigieg campaign said it paid Shadow for "text messaging services to help us contact voters." The Iowa Democratic Party said it expects to release the caucus results sometime Tuesday.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/buttigieg-campaign-paid-firm-that-developed-voting-app-blamed-for-iowa-caucus-delays
Buttigieg campaign paid firm that developed voting app blamed for Iowa caucus delays
by Spencer Neale
Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg's campaign contributed money to the technological firm whose voting app contributed to reporting delays in the Iowa caucuses.
Federal Election Commission filings reveal that Buttigieg's campaign gave tens of thousands of dollars to Shadow on July 23, 2019, for "software rights and subscriptions."
Shadow, a technology company that has an investor in the Democratic digital nonprofit organization ACRONYM, was also paid $60,000 over two installments by the Iowa Democratic Party to build an app to help make caucus voting easier and faster for precinct volunteers. Filings also reveal that the Nevada Democratic Party paid Shadow $58,000 for "website development."
The Iowa Democratic Party scrambled Monday night after precincts experienced trouble downloading and uploading results to the voting app. By 1 a.m. EST Tuesday morning, no results had been released as volunteers attempted to call in the numbers by phone.
Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, claimed victory before any numbers had been released, publishing a tweet that said he was "going on to New Hampshire victorious."
Pete Buttigieg
@PeteButtigieg
Iowa, you have shocked the nation.
By all indications, we are going on to New Hampshire victorious. #IowaCaucuses
19.8K
12:24 AM - Feb 4, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
15.5K people are talking about this
Robby Mook, the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's 2016 team, denied involvement in the voting app after Twitter users suggested he was behind the app's development. Mook, who reportedly did have a role in preparing a video to alert campaigns of misinformation or hacking, instructed people to contact Iowa Democrats for more information on the botched results.
Robby Mook
@RobbyMook
Sorry, folks. I did NOT have anythjng to do with building the Iowa caucus app. I dont know anything about it, had no role in it, and dont own a company that makes mobile appa. Please contact @iowademocrats with questions about it.
9,012
11:49 PM - Feb 3, 2020
Twitter Ads info and privacy
3,757 people are talking about this
UPDATE: A spokesman for the Buttigieg campaign said it paid Shadow for "text messaging services to help us contact voters." The Iowa Democratic Party said it expects to release the caucus results sometime Tuesday.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/buttigieg-campaign-paid-firm-that-developed-voting-app-blamed-for-iowa-caucus-delays