The Iowa caucuses are always a bit of a mess, but on Monday, the whole world saw them turn into a calamity.

Caucus site volunteers were required to tabulate and report an additional layer of information raw vote totals for the first alignment of caucusgoers straining an already complex reporting process. The Iowa Democratic Party paid for a digital app to help volunteers with the final tabulation, but the app either crashed or its software incorrectly tabulated the results .

That meant that for the first time in the Iowa caucuses 40-plus years as a national media event, no official results were reported on election night. And it may mean its the last time voters in Iowa get the privilege of weighing in first on a presidential primary.

Ironically, the historical reason that Iowa is the first state to vote in the presidential primary is exactly that the caucus process is so complex. Party officials needed extra time to tabulate the results sometimes even days, which was not too problematic decades ago. And they only had a mimeograph machine to do it. But todays cable and internet-driven 24-hour news cycle necessitates a quick decision on who won and who lost and its become clear the Iowa caucuses may simply be incompatible with that demand.

The lack of results was crazy, awkward, embarrassing, a serious problem, a huge, huge embarrassment, and so unfair, CNN news anchor Wolf Blitzer said throughout his coverage Monday night and early Tuesday morning.

How could there be no votes reported on CNNs Magic Wall, the large screen on which to project precinct results?

By this time in 2016, we had 80% of the results in, and tonight we have none! Blitzer declared with clear exasperation at one point.

You and I should be at the Magic Wall by now, he said to CNNs John King right before he signed off at midnight.