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Theodorescu

Academic Year: 2019-2020

Date of Report Submission: February 19, 2020

Name of Department: Democratic National Convention
Name of Contact Person: Ally Theodorescu
Name of Person(s) completing report or contributing to the project: Ally Theodorescu

Part II: Report on This Year’s Assessment Project: The Iowa Caucus

I. Abstract

The app which recorded the caucus data during the 2020 Iowa Caucus had a
technical problem. Although it was planned for everyone to vote using the app, due
to its malfunction, the timely arrival of the results was jeopardized. In addition to
this, the backup hotline system also malfunctioned, causing even more uncertainty.
The company who made the product, Shadow, has publicly responded to this
embarrassing failure, and there were several news articles that reported on the issue.
Looking at these mass media releases and their responses, we examine the situation
in a wholesome manner. We determine the next steps and measures that need to be
taken in order to avoid any other malfunctions in the future.

II. Assessment Question

What were the implications of the ETHICAL and TECHNICAL failures of the
process and technology, and what are the next steps?

III. Introduction & Context

Project Overview

The main issue was the failure of the caucus app due to improper testing before its
release. The goal of the project is analyzing the problem by assessing the ethical
and technical negligence of the people involved.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

The end result should have been a working app that facilitated the voting process.
The learning outcome is observing the mistakes made in order to learn and avoid
them in the future. The first step would be thoroughly testing the app before it’s
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made public. Several warnings regarding the app’s release for usage were
ignored. The necessary precautions to ensure the app’s success were not taken by
the company and the repercussions of this are evident: not only did their
reputation and credibility become tarnished, but the candidates’ campaigns also
suffered.

Context for This Year’s Report

The Iowa democratic Party purchased an app in order to report caucus votes.
Their ultimate goal was to speed up the process, but instead produced the opposite
result. The objective of this report is to analyze the situation and devise possible
next steps. From the provided readings, we can get a general idea and make a first
impression of the event.

Key Findings

Shadow failed with usability testing for their app. Had they done proper this
properly, the negative outcomes wouldn’t have happened. Rather than
simplifying the voting process, the app failed in reporting the votes and made it
even more difficult.

IV. Discussion & Interpretation of Findings

This unfortunate event damaged Shadow and DNC’s public image and
trustworthiness, especially since it could have been easily avoided, had the proper
steps been taken. The secrecy and delays in the process of presenting the final
results brought more confusion and doubt from the public.

V. Recommendations and Plans for Action

Recommendations

There are several things I would recommend at this point. First, the app makers
and the DNC should ensure this mistake does not reoccur, by testing the product enough
to clear any bugs or glitches. When used properly, technology can speed up the process
greatly, unlike this time, when details were overlooked due to negligence. Although the
app creators’ and DNC’s intention and direction were good, their plan was executed
poorly.

Action Plan

1. The people in charge of the app should make sure it works smoothly without
error (testing all features of it), is intuitive, and has good usability overall.
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2. Find and work with a different and more reliable company.
3. Even when working with a trustworthy company, additional testing should be
done for any errors that may have slipped, since human error is likely to
happen.
4. Have more people look at/test the app prior to usage, since it will be more
likely that there are no uncaught errors.

Sharing the results

The results of the event are publicly available on the internet.

The results of this audit are available to the class.

Additional Articles found:

https://www.npr.org/2020/02/04/802583844/what-we-know-about-the-app-that-delayed-
iowas-caucus-results
https://theintercept.com/2020/02/05/iowa-caucus-app-election-system-security-design/