2016 caucuses were a 21st Century success

In a recent guest opinion ('It's time to update the Iowa caucuses,” Feb. 7), Iowa State University Professor Steffen Schmidt wrote, 'After 50 years maybe it's time to bring the caucus process into the 21st century and make it clearer, neater and more transparent.” Schmidt then downplayed one of the most significant changes made for this cycle. As a member of the Republican Party of Iowa's State Central Committee I cannot speak to the controversy surrounding the Democrats' caucus, but the GOP definitely held a 21st century caucus!

The Microsoft reporting app allowed precincts to quickly, efficiently, and securely report caucus results, a vast and important change from the previous phone-based system. The Republican Party of Iowa engaged in hundreds of trainings to prepare volunteers to use the app, enabling Republicans to call the winner by 10 p.m. CST, only three hours after the caucuses began.

Schmidt cast doubt on the app because Microsoft founder Bill Gates was a donor to Bill Clinton's campaigns. The app was only used to speed up and reduce potential reporting errors on caucus night. The Republican Party also pledged to have verified results within 48 hours of the caucus. That effort involved staffers and volunteers going out to physically collect the forms with the signed and verified vote count from each of Iowa's 1,681 precincts. This was done even in the midst of the massive snowstorm that hit the day after caucus.

When the official forms were tabulated the results emphasized the validity of the caucus night results as reported via the app. I saw several people taking pictures of the official vote tallies with their cellphones. The precinct-by-precinct vote totals have been online for almost three weeks and I have not heard of a single case where a Republican caucus attendee has said the reported results differ from those tabulated on caucus night.

The Republican Party of Iowa takes the job of preparing for and holding Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses seriously. The app was a great step forward, just one of the improvements for the caucuses in 2016. With a record statewide attendance, up 50 percent over the 2012 record, at an event run by volunteers in 1,681 precincts - I consider Iowa's Republican Caucus a huge success! However, Rather than rest on our laurels, we will continue to look for ways update and modernize the Iowa caucuses while maintaining the grass roots participation for which they are justly famous.

' David Chung is in his fourth term on the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee and served on 2012 Iowa Caucus Review Committee, he and his wife Janice are lifelong Iowans and have lived in Cedar Rapids for 25 years. Comments: dchung@dchung.com