Recanvassing rules for the Iowa Democratic Party and the Iowa caucuses

While the chair of the Democratic National Committee, Tom Perez, recently called for the Iowa Democratic Party to recanvass the results of the caucus. He can’t do that, nor do existing rules allow it. But there are ways to recanvass.

Rule 2 of the Delegate Selection Rules for the Democratic National Convention provides,

K. While parties are encouraged to use government-run primaries, in states where the State Party chooses to hold a Party-run process to establish presidential preference, the State Party’s Delegate Selection Plan shall prevent attempts at voter suppression, disenfranchisement, and ensure an open and inclusive process. Further, the Rules and Bylaws Committee shall determine whether the State Party’s Delegate Selection Plan meets the requirements specified in this section, including:

…

6. Ensuring final expressions of preference as part of the presidential nominating process are securely preserved, in a method to be specified in the State's Plan, that ensures the availability of a prompt and accurate recount or recanvas;

7. Providing a standard and procedure by which a presidential candidate may request a recount or recanvas that is paid for by the candidate and carried out in a timely manner;

The Iowa Democratic Party established the following recanvas rules for 2020:

8. Any presidential candidate may request a precinct-levelreview of caucus results by submitting a request in writing to the Iowa Democratic Party Chair.

a. Requests for precinct-level review must include the name of the county or counties, the precinct(s), and a credible explanation describing the reason for the request.

b. Requests for precinct-level review must be received by the Chair no later than Friday, February 7, 2020, at 12:00 p.m.

c. The State Party will respond to a request for precinct-level review within 48 hours of receipt. The response will include an anticipated timeline for the review and an estimate of fees to be assessed to the campaign in order to complete the review.

9. Any presidential candidate may request a recanvas of district or state results by submitting a request in writing to the Iowa Democratic Party Chair.

a. Requests for recanvas must include the scope of the desired recanvas, a thorough description of the challenge, and an explanation about how the national delegation could be altered as a result of the problem or its correction.

b. Requests for recanvas must be received by the Chair no later than Friday, February 7, 2020, at 12:00 p.m.

10. The State Central Committee will certify caucus results no later than February 29, 2020.

In short, while the National Committee might examine challenges to the Iowa caucuses at the convention, the formal recanvassing process occurs when a candidate asks for a recanvassing, by Friday, February 7, at 12 pm. I assume, of course, some candidate will take Mr. Perez’s public statement to heart and make the request, but we shall see. (UPDATE: That deadline was extended.)