DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – For Americans following along on cable TV, Monday’s Iowa caucuses were a bewildering carnival of democracy _ until it all went sour. The failure of Democrats to report timely results meant viewers went to bed not knowing what it all meant.

Helen Varner, center, a precinct captain for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, tries to convince Andrew Yang supporters to join Warren supporters during the Democratic caucus at Hempstead High School in Dubuque, Iowa, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Nicki Kohl/Telegraph Herald via AP)

During the coverage, reporters used to sifting through reams of scientific voting data were instead wandering around rec rooms and auditoriums, counting raised hands or estimating the size of clusters of people in bleachers. The Iowa caucuses sneaked up on television viewers, with all the attention paid to President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.