The outcome of Tuesday's Iowa caucuses was thrown into question Thursday after reports of a discrepancy in the vote count in one rural precinct that could swing the result in Rick Santorum's favor.
It wasn't until well after midnight Wednesday morning that the Iowa Republican Party announced that Mitt Romney had won the narrowest of victories over Santorum -- just eight votes out of more than 120,000 cast in the statewide GOP gatherings. State party chairman Matt Strawn noted at the time that a certified tally would not come for two more weeks.
On Thursday, Edward True of Moulton, Iowa, filed an affidavit saying that Romney's reported total in the caucus he attended overstated his support by 20 votes, the Daily Iowegian reported.
True, who said he was one of three people who helped count ballots, said Romney only received two votes -- not the 22 reported on the Iowa Republican Party's website. He says Santorum had actually won the precinct, winning 21 of the 53 total votes.
If True's claim is accurate, an eight-vote Romney win would become a 12-vote Santorum win.
In a statement released late Thursday night, Strawn said that during the party's certification process, it "will not respond to every rumor, innuendo or allegation" that surfaces, out of respect for the candidates.
"That said, Iowa GOP officials have been in contact with Appanoose County Republican officials tonight and do not have any reason to believe the final, certified results of Appanoose County will change the outcome of Tuesday's vote," Strawn said.
The incident is sure to raise new questions about the quirky process that typically begins the presidential nominating contest. The Republican caucuses, run by the party and not the state, are essentially a popularity contest among those who attend; at some caucus sites there are no paper records of the vote.
There is also no official provision for a recount because no delegates are at stake.
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5 comments:
In the whole scheme of things why does this matter? The Iowa caucus is just a straw poll, a beauty contest. There are no delegates elected and it has no effect on who is ultimately picked at the convention. It's just something for the media to use to fill in a blank space on their schedules.
What the REAL deal is this --- keep the citizens focused on crap like this while we swirl down the drain, arguing with each other over which theiving, lying fox gets to guard our chicken house for the next four years. Do you REALLY think it matters? Oh yeah -- it's mattered a lot in the last 40 years. Thats why things are so rosy and the WHOLE WORLD is laughing at our slow demise. Wake up. ALL of them have helped make us a DEBTOR NATION unable to pay anything but the interest on the TRILLIONS we have borrowed to do what? Invade third world countries? Save FOREIGN banks and nations? Prop up huge corporations (so they can lay off workers, close plants, and get multi-million dollar bonuses)? They (our "leaders", like John McCain and Nancy Pelosi) are deciding whether they should purchase another house in Hawaii or in the Forida Keys and whether they will vacation in France or Tahiti, while WE decide if we buy groceries or pay the electric bill. Focus, people, focus. Don't you EVER get the feeling they are asking us which cup the ball is under (while they are stealing your wallet)?????
You ain't seen nothing yet , wait till november. Talk about crooked voting , obama will have em voting from mexico and all the middle east countries.
Ladies and gentlemen , you can't stop him now.
He's not a citizen , he doesn't belive in the laws of this land, him and his wife hate AMERICA.
Nothing was done , so look out folks it's over , get your ammo any place you can.
The next president will be obamie , like it or not!
the fix is in, romney and he will continue the same policies, when are you idiots going to realize the democrats and the republicans have structured things in such a way that every 4 years you get the chance to throw the bums out, with no discernable change in government policies! bush clinton, bush, obama pretty much the same!
the fix is in, romney and he will continue the same policies, when are you idiots going to realize the democrats and the republicans have structured things in such a way that every 4 years you get the chance to throw the bums out, with no discernable change in government policies! bush clinton, bush, obama pretty much the same!
January 8, 2012 8:17 PM
Yay. Finally someone else who can see the trees in the forest.
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