DES MOINES, Iowa -- The Republican Party of Iowa has no reason to doubt the accuracy 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 Jan. 3 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 battled 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 former Santorum is the real winner and that there was 20-vote error in the caucus results from Appanoose County.

According to True, the number of votes Romney received from Washington Wells Precinct in Appanoose County 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 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.

Also, late Thursday 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 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 Jan. 5. “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.

In a statement to Fox News, Santorum downplayed the impact of the error and suggested it’s the results of the next contest that will matter.
“It doesn't really matter to me. It was a tie,” Santorum said. “We came from, you know, four or five points two weeks before the election. And ended up with 25 points ... So I look at it this way -- let's see what the polls look like in New Hampshire here.”

“This will make Iowa look a little foolish in the eyes of the rest of the country which already questions the seriousness of the caucuses,” Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford told KCCI. “But in terms of Santorum's results here, the caucuses have made him a player in presidential politics and if he should nudge ahead of Gov. Romney for the final certified result that's really not going to make any significant difference at this point.”

Beyond being embarrassing for the party, the real damage, if the error is confirmed, is that other state Republicans parties – many both critical and envious of Iowa’s lead-off role in the nomination process – could use the error to attack the integrity of process.

The party concedes precinct leaders have wide latitude in how votes are cast and counted. Almost as soon as caucuses were adjourned Tuesday, there has been discussion about the various methods used to cast and count ballots in the non-binding straw poll of caucusgoers’ preference for a nominee.

Read True’s notarized statement here: http://www.watchthevote2012.com/AffidavitTrue.htm.