The Republican Party of Iowa says it has no reason to doubt the accuracy of results it reported from the state’s first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses despite a claim of an error that would change the outcome. The final vote count reported Tuesday gave former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney an eight vote victory over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum. The Iowa GOP reported Romney edged Santorum in a see-saw battle by 30,015 to 30,007.
Since then, however, a Moulton man has called those results into dispute. Edward L. True has filed a notarized statement claiming Santorum is the real winner and that there was an error in the caucus results from Appanoose County. According to True, the number of votes Romney received from Washington Wells Precinct were inflated by 20 when recorded by the state GOP.
True, who said he hopes the discrepancy is a simple mistake, reportedly helped count the votes and kept a record of the outcome to post to Ron Paul Facebook pages. He said he noticed the error when he looked at the state GOP website.
If his claim is accurate, then Santorum was the winner with 30,007 votes to Romney’s 29,995 rather than 30,015. Late last night, The Gazette received a report of a discrepancy in the vote totals that were reported in the Illyria and Westfield townships in Fayette County. The report could not immediately be verified.
The results of voting at the Iowa GOP’s 1,774 precinct caucuses are being certified, according to Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn. That process could take two weeks.
“Out of respect to the candidates involved, party officials will not respond to every rumor, innuendo or allegation during the two-week process,” Strawn said in a statement issued Thursday. “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.”
If True’s claim is accurate and upheld by the certification process, the error changes very little in terms of the race for the Republican presidential nomination beyond bragging rights.
Full Article: Moulton man challenges Iowa caucus results.