DOCSLIB.ORG

Observing the 2006 Presidential Elections in Venezuela

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Observing the 2006 Presidential Elections in Venezuela Observing the 2006 Presidential Elections in Venezuela Final Report of the Technical Mission Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope. The Carter Center strives to relieve suffering by advancing peace and health worldwide; it seeks to prevent and resolve conflicts, enhance freedom and democracy, and protect and promote human rights worldwide. Observing the 2006 Presidential Elections in Venezuela Final Report of the Technical Mission One Copenhill 453 Freedom Parkway Atlanta, GA 30307 (404) 420-5188 Fax (404) 420-5196 www.cartercenter.org November 2007 The Carter Center Contents Carter Center Technical Team and Staff . 1 Terms and Abbreviations . 2 Acknowledgements . 3 Executive Summary . 4 About the Carter Center Specialized, Technical Observation Program . 7 Institutional Design and Political Context of the Venezuelan Electoral Process . 8 Design and Function of the Electronic Voting System . 14 Voting Machine Security Features . 19 Results Transmission . 25 Audit Schemes . 31 Conclusions and Recommendations . 43 Lessons for Observing Electronic Elections . 45 References . 50 Appendices . 51 A: Carter Center Observation Methodology . .51 B: The Audits in Detail . .53 C: Carter Center Statement About the Venezuelan Elections . .62 D: Baseline Survey . .63 E: Poll Opening Observation Form . .75 F: Election Day Observation Form . .79 G: Poll Closing Observation Form . .83 The Carter Center Carter Center Technical Team and Staff Carter Center Technical Team Carter Center Staff Ingo Boltz, Tecsel S.A., Carter Center E-voting Josefina Blanco, Press Officer, The Carter Consultant, Germany Center Venezuela David Carroll, Director, Democracy Program, Glory Melendez, Accountant, The Carter The Carter Center, United States Center Venezuela Avery Davis-Roberts, Program Associate, Democracy Jacqueline Mosquera, Office Manager, The Carter Program, The Carter Center, United States Center Venezuela Richard DeMillo, Dean, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States Marcelo Escolar, Tecsel S.A., Carter Center E-voting Consultant, Argentina Bill Gallery, Program Officer, Democracy International, United States Kristin García, Assistant Program Coordinator, Democracy and Americas Programs, The Carter Center, United States Herman Ruddijs, Business Project Manager, Department of Business Development, Sdu Uitgevers, The Netherlands Hector Vanolli, Caracas Field Office Director, The Carter Center Venezuela, Argentina Ethan Watson, Intern, Democracy Program, The Carter Center, United States 1 The Carter Center Terms and Abbreviations AAA Authentication, Authorization and JNE National Electoral Board (Junta Accounting Nacional Electoral) AES 256bit The Advanced Encryption Standard IT Information Technology in cryptography, with key length of ICTs Information and Communication 256 bits Technologies AFIS Automated Fingerprint Identification MAC address Media Access Control address of a System computer networking device BIOS Basic Input/Output System MD-5, SHA-I, CA Certificate Authority SHA-256 Hash algorithms CANTV Compañía Anónima Nacional de Memory Stick Portable flash memory, usually Teléfonos de Venezuela connected to the USB port of a computer CDMA Code-Division Multiple Access, a digital cellular technology MFT Master File Table, a feature of NTFS CNE Consejo Nacional Electoral NTFS New Technology File System, one of the file systems for the Windows NT CRCE Civil and Electoral Registration operating system Committee RADIUS Remote Authentication Dial-In CPU Central Processing Unit User Service, an authentication and CTC Contingency Transmission Center accounting system DLL Dynamic Line Library RAS Remote Access Server DOM Disk On Module, an alternative to RJ-45 Short for Registered Jack-45, an traditional computer hard disks eight-wire connector commonly used DRE Direct Recording Electronic to connect computers onto a local- machines area networks (LAN), especially Ethernets EA Electoral Authority Serial Port/ eVote Electronic Vote PS/2 Port/ IDS Intrusion-Detection System Ethernet Port/ Interfaces to connect external USB port devices to a computer IP address Internet Protocol address; an identifi- er for a computer or device on a SPI Stateful Packet Inspection TCP/IP network SSL/TLS Secure Sockets Layer / Transport IPS Intrusion-Prevention System Layer Security (security protocols) IPSec IP Security, a set of protocols devel- UI User Interface oped by the IETF to support secure VPS Virtual Private Network exchange of packets at the IP layer VVPT Voter Verified Paper Trail 2 The Carter Center Acknowledgements he Carter Center would like to thank the The Carter Center’s specialized technical mission National Electoral Council (CNE) of the would not have been possible without the hard work Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela for inviting and dedication of the Carter Center representative Tthe Center to send a specialized, technical mission to in Venezuela, Hector Vanolli, who worked tirelessly observe the automated voting system during the Dec. in Caracas to lay the groundwork for the team with 3, 2006, presidential election. We would also like to the critical support and assistance of Jacqueline thank the government of Ireland, whose generous Mosquera, Glory Melendez, and Josefina Blanco. financial support facilitated the Center’s observation In Atlanta, Dr. Jennifer McCoy, director of the work for this election. Carter Center’s Americas Program, provided guid- The Carter Center would like to thank the ance, insight, expertise, and advice, which were observation missions of the European Union and essential to the project. Kristin García bore long the Organization of American States for their close hours and a heavy workload with good humor and collaboration during the entire electoral period. In grace. Ethan Watson’s presence proved indispensable addition, The Carter Center recognizes the work of in Caracas. the domestic observer and civil society groups that Lastly, The Carter Center thanks David Carroll played an active role in this election. and Avery Davis-Roberts of the Center’s Democracy The Carter Center also thanks Richard DeMillo, Program, who were in charge of the general manage- Bill Gallery, and Herman Ruddijs, who were willing ment of this project. and able to travel to Caracas at short notice and Many authors contributed to preparing, writing, without whom this mission would not have been and editing this report, including Ingo Boltz, Marcelo possible. Special thanks to Marcelo Escolar and Ingo Escolar, Avery Davis-Roberts, David Carroll, Jennifer Boltz who served as long-term technical advisers McCoy, Hector Vanolli, Raul Sanchez Urribarri, and throughout the Carter Center’s observation process, Maria Fernandez. and whose work, in at times difficult circumstances, formed the basis for the mission’s observation. 3 The Carter Center Executive Summary n response to an invitation from the Venezuelan Institutional Design and the Political Context of National Electoral Council (CNE), The Carter the Venezuelan Electoral Process Center organized a specialized, technical mission Given that a thorough understanding of the legal Ito observe the use of automated voting technology and institutional framework for the election is an employed in the Dec. 3, 2006, presidential elections important aspect of a technical observation, this in Venezuela. The Carter Center technical mission chapter reviews the design of the Venezuelan Poder had two main goals. First, the mission wanted to Electoral, the formation of the CNE, the impact of demonstrate the support of the international com- the new technologies on the CNE structure, and the munity for democratic elections in the Bolivarian initiatives taken by the electoral body to increase Republic of Venezuela; and second, the mission public confidence in the automated voting system. wanted to contribute to a larger project of The According to the constitution and the law, the Carter Center to develop and update methodologies administration, execution, and supervision of all for observing and evaluating voting systems globally. electoral matters are the responsibility of the Poder Consequently, this report provides some comparative Electoral, a fifth branch of government. For this perspectives. reason, the Venezuelan electoral process is within Carter Center observers arrived in Caracas on the exclusive jurisdiction of an autonomous state Nov. 22, 2006, after the completion of many of authority. On one hand, this autonomy has facilitated the pre-election audits. However, they were able to the rapid and widespread adoption of electronic observe a limited number of audits and tests in the electoral technologies in Venezuela. On the other two weeks prior to election day, as well as election hand, in a context of high political polarization, day and postelection audits. Given the late arrival the autonomy has contributed to concerns among of the mission, the direct observations of the Carter the opposition about the integrity of the automated Center observers were supplemented by analysis of voting system, as well as to perceptions of partisan- the official minutes from those audits that took place ship on the part of CNE directors appointed by prior to the mission’s arrival, information received a government-dominated legislature. from the CNE, and interviews with representatives of Venezuela first piloted electronic voting technolo- political parties and civil society organizations, as well gies in its 1993 elections and on a wide-scale basis in as with CNE personnel and Smartmatic
Load more

Recommended publications
  • NIST Voting Presentation
    Improving U.S. Voting Systems NIST VOTING Mary Brady Voting Program Manager NIST [email protected] Josh Franklin Lead, NIST Voting Security [email protected] ISPAB 10/25/2017 1 Improving U.S. Voting Systems Topics • VVSG 2.0 Development • VVSG Scope • VVSG Structure • VVSG: Principles and Guidelines • Requirements & Test Assertions • Cybersecurity and Elections 2 Improving U.S. Voting Systems VVSG 2.0 Development EAC Standards Board of TGDC Board Advisors NIST Director Voting Guidelines • Tap into as many experts as possible NIST PWG’s • Get continual feedback Improving U.S. Voting Systems Together…Making It Happen NIST NASED EAC FVAP IEEE Goals Military/Overseas Voters High-level, Election plain language Process principles Common Data Format Legal Requirements Common Accessibility Threads Requirements -> verified code Improving U.S. Voting Systems NIST-EAC Public Working Groups Election Groups • Developed election process models that served as the basis for use cases and the core functions • Pre-Election (103 members) • Election: (107 members) • Post-Election: (96 members) Constituency Groups • Conducted gap analyses and developed draft VVSG 2.0 Principles and Guidelines • U&A (105 members) • Cybersecurity (121 members) • Interoperability (158 members) • Testing (84 members) 5 Improving U.S. Voting Systems Election Models 6 Improving U.S. Voting Systems Reaching Consensus on VVSG Scope Election Election Process Use Case Core WGs Models Scenarios Functions Pre, • TGDC • Standards Election, • EAC/NIST Board • PWG Chairs • Board of and Post Advisors • NASED Improving U.S. Voting Systems A New VVSG Structure EAC NASED EAC VVSG NASED Input Roundtable / TGDC, SB, BoA Subgroup / Futures Group to EAC / NIST Public Adoption NIST Meetings 8 Improving U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • No Room for Debate the National Constituent Assembly and the Crumbling of the Rule of Law in Venezuela
    No Room for Debate The National Constituent Assembly and the Crumbling of the Rule of Law in Venezuela July 2019 Composed of 60 eminent judges and lawyers from all regions of the world, the International Commission of Jurists promotes and protects human rights through the Rule of Law, by using its unique legal expertise to develop and strengthen national and international justice systems. Established in 1952 and active on the five continents, the ICJ aims to ensure the progressive development and effective implementation of international human rights and international humanitarian law; secure the realization of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights; safeguard the separation of powers; and guarantee the independence of the judiciary and legal profession. ® No Room for Debate - The National Constituent Assembly and the Crumbling of the Rule of Law in Venezuela © Copyright International Commission of Jurists Published in July 2019 The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) permits free reproduction of extracts from any of its publications provided that due acknowledgment is given and a copy of the publication carrying the extract is sent to its headquarters at the following address: International Commission of Jurists P.O. Box 91 Rue des Bains 33 Geneva Switzerland No Room for Debate The National Constituent Assembly and the Crumbling of the Rule of Law in Venezuela This report was written by Santiago Martínez Neira, consultant to the International Commission of Jurists. Carlos Ayala, Sam Zarifi and Ian Seiderman provided legal and policy review. This report was written in Spanish and translated to English by Leslie Carmichael. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ...............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • CRACKDOWN on DISSENT Brutality, Torture, and Political Persecution in Venezuela
    CRACKDOWN ON DISSENT Brutality, Torture, and Political Persecution in Venezuela HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Crackdown on Dissent Brutality, Torture, and Political Persecution in Venezuela Copyright © 2017 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 978-1-6231-35492 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people worldwide. We scrupulously investigate abuses, expose the facts widely, and pressure those with power to respect rights and secure justice. Human Rights Watch is an independent, international organization that works as part of a vibrant movement to uphold human dignity and advance the cause of human rights for all. Human Rights Watch is an international organization with staff in more than 40 countries, and offices in Amsterdam, Beirut, Berlin, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Goma, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Sydney, Tokyo, Toronto, Tunis, Washington DC, and Zurich. For more information, please visit: http://www.hrw.org The Foro Penal (FP) or Penal Forum is a Venezuelan NGO that has worked defending human rights since 2002, offering free assistance to victims of state repression, including those arbitrarily detained, tortured, or murdered. The Penal Forum currently has a network of 200 volunteer lawyers and more than 4,000 volunteer activists, with regional representatives throughout Venezuela and also in other countries such as Argentina, Chile, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay, and the USA. Volunteers provide assistance and free legal counsel to victims, and organize campaigns for the release of political prisoners, to stop state repression, and increase the political and social cost for the Venezuelan government to use repression as a mechanism to stay in power.
    [Show full text]
  • Rudy Giuliani Lawyer Says Smartmatic Smears Were “Product Disparagement” Not Full-Out Defamation – Update
    PRINT Rudy Giuliani Lawyer Says Smartmatic Smears Were “Product Disparagement” Not Full-Out Defamation – Update By Jill Goldsmith August 17, 2021 12:34pm Jill Goldsmith Co-Business Editor More Stories By Jill Rudy Giuliani Lawyer Says Smartmatic Smears Were “Product Disparagement” Not Full-Out Defamation – Update CNN’s Clarissa Ward On “Watching History Unfold” In Afghanistan ViacomCBS Sells Black Rock Building In Midtown Manhattan To Harbor Group For $760 Million VIEW ALL Rudy Giuliani AP Photo/John Minchillo Rudy Giuliani’s attorney rehashed conspiracy theories and was light on evidence when pressed by a judge Tuesday in a defamation suit brought by voting software firm Smartmatic. Joe Sibley of Camara & Sibley asked New York State Supreme Court Judge David Cohen to dismiss six of the claims against his client Giuliani because they constituted “product disparagement,” or calling the software lousy, not defamation. The latter is the charge brought by the company in a lawsuit against Fox, three of its hosts, Giuliani and Sidney Powell. Defendants have asked for the case to be dismissed and their counsel, one by one, had the chance at a long hearing today to say why, followed by rebuttals by Smartmatic’s team. Cohen asked Sibley about one of the Trump attorney’s claims — that, in Venezuela, Smartmatic “’switched votes around subtly, maybe ten percent per district, so you don’t notice it.’ Is there some support in that to show that they can’t even make out a claim for actual malice?” he asked. Here’s Sibley’s response and some of the exchange: Sibley: “I believe in the declaration there’s some discussion of how they did it, that they kind of skimmed votes here and there to flip the votes.” Cohen: “What about Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Proof of Publication
    Case 20-33332-KLP Doc 911 Filed 02/11/21 Entered 02/11/21 10:37:51 Desc Main Document Page 1 of 2 PROOF OF PUBLICATION 21 ___________________________Feb-10, 20___ /͕ĚŐĂƌEŽďůĞƐĂůĂ͕ŝŶŵLJĐĂƉĂĐŝƚLJĂƐĂWƌŝŶĐŝƉĂůůĞƌŬŽĨƚŚĞWƵďůŝƐŚĞƌŽĨ Ă ĚĂŝůLJŶĞǁƐƉĂƉĞƌŽĨŐĞŶĞƌĂůĐŝƌĐƵůĂƚŝŽŶƉƌŝŶƚĞĚĂŶĚƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞŝƚLJ͕ŽƵŶƚLJĂŶĚ^ƚĂƚĞŽĨEĞǁzŽƌŬ͕ ŚĞƌĞďLJĐĞƌƚŝĨLJƚŚĂƚƚŚĞĂĚǀĞƌƚŝƐĞŵĞŶƚĂŶŶĞdžĞĚŚĞƌĞƚŽǁĂƐƉƵďůŝƐŚĞĚŝŶƚŚĞĞĚŝƚŝŽŶƐŽĨ ŽŶƚŚĞĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐĚĂƚĞŽƌĚĂƚĞƐ͕ƚŽǁŝƚŽŶ Feb 10, 2021, NYT & Natl, pg B3 ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ ^ǁŽƌŶƚŽŵĞƚŚŝƐϭϬƚŚĚĂLJŽĨ &ĞďƌƵĂƌLJ͕ϮϬϮϭ ͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺͺ EŽƚĂƌLJWƵďůŝĐ Case 20-33332-KLP Doc 911 Filed 02/11/21 Entered 02/11/21 10:37:51 Desc Main C M Y K Nxxx,2021-02-10,B,003,Bs-BW,E1Document Page 2 of 2 THE NEW YORK TIMES BUSINESS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2021 N B3 MEDIA Reddit Raises Fox Seeks to Dismiss Election Lawsuit Times Places $250 Million, By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM A Top Editor and JONAH E. BROMWICH Pushing Value Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Corpora- In the Office tion filed a motion on Monday to To $6 Billion dismiss the $2.7 billion defamation Of Its Publisher lawsuit brought against it last By MIKE ISAAC week by the election technology By MARC TRACY company Smartmatic, which has SAN FRANCISCO — Fresh off a win- The New York Times announced accused Mr. Murdoch’s cable net- ning Super Bowl ad and a role at on Tuesday that one of its highest- works and three Fox anchors of the center of a recent stock mar- ranking editors, Rebecca Blumen- spreading falsehoods that the stein, will take on a newly created ket frenzy, Reddit announced on company tried to rig the presiden- role, reporting directly to the pub- Monday that it had raised $250 tial race against Donald J. Trump. lisher, A.
    [Show full text]
  • The New Jersey Voting-Machine Lawsuit and the AVC Advantage DRE Voting Machine
    The New Jersey Voting-machine Lawsuit and the AVC Advantage DRE Voting Machine Andrew W. Appel∗ Maia Ginsburg Harri Hursti Brian W. Kernighan Princeton University Princeton University Princeton University Christopher D. Richards Gang Tan Penny Venetis Princeton University Lehigh University Rutgers School of Law – Newark Abstract As a result of a public-interest lawsuit, by Court order we were able to study, for one month, the hardware and source code of the Sequoia AVC Advantage direct-recording electronic voting machine, which is used throughout New Jersey (and Louisiana), and the Court has permitted us to publicly describe almost everything that we were able to learn. In short, these machines are vulnerable to a wide variety of attacks on the voting process. It would not be in the slightest difficult for a moderately determined group or individual to mount a vote-stealing attack that would be successful and undetectable. 1 Litigation and legislation in New Jersey In October 2004 a group of public-interest plaintiffs, represented by Professor Penny Venetis of the Rutgers Law School, sued the State of New Jersey (in NJ Superior Court) over the State’s use of direct-recording electronic (DRE) voting machines in New Jersey. By 2004, most of New Jersey’s counties had adopted the Sequoia AVC Advantage full-face DRE. Currently 18 out of New Jersey’s 21 counties use this DRE. The plaintiffs argued that the use of DRE voting machines is illegal and unconstitutional: illegal, because they violate New Jersey election laws requiring that all votes be counted accurately and that voting machines be thoroughly tested, accurate, and reliable; and unconstitutional, because they violate the New Jersey constitution’s requirement that all votes count.1 The plaintiffs argued that one cannot trust a paperless DRE machine to count the vote.
    [Show full text]
  • Bill Analysis
    The Florida Senate BILL ANALYSIS AND FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT (This document is based on the provisions contained in the legislation as of the latest date listed below.) Prepared By: The Professional Staff of the Committee on Rules BILL: CS/SM 804 INTRODUCER: Judiciary Committee and Senator Torres and others SUBJECT: Humanitarian Assistance/Government of Venezuela DATE: April 22, 2019 REVISED: ANALYST STAFF DIRECTOR REFERENCE ACTION 1. Tulloch Cibula JU Fav/CS 2. Tulloch Phelps RC Pre-meeting Please see Section IX. for Additional Information: COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE - Substantial Changes I. Summary: CS/SM 804 is a memorial recognizing the humanitarian aid crisis in Venezuela and the violations of its citizens’ rights at the hands of the now illegitimate Venezuelan “President,” Nicholás Maduro, and the other parts of the Venezuelan government under his regime. The memorial is addressed to the Congress of the United States, and makes three requests: (1)That Congress urge Maduro to allow delivery of humanitarian aid, in particular food and medicine; (2)That Congress not only maintain the current financial sanctions but intensify financial sanctions against Maduro and the Venezuelan government; and (3)That Congress instruct all federal agencies to hold Maduro and officials of the Venezuelan government responsible for violations and abuses of internationally recognized human rights. II. Present Situation: Formally, the government of Venezuela is “a multiparty, constitutional republic[.]”1 However, for over a decade, beginning with the election of Hugo Chávez in 19982 to his successor, Nicholás Maduro, political power in Venezuela has been “concentrated in a single party with an increasingly authoritarian executive exercising significant control over the legislative, judicial, 1 U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Auditing Technology for Electronic Voting Machines
    CALTECH/MIT VOTING TECHNOLOGY PROJECT A multi-disciplinary, collaborative project of the California Institute of Technology – Pasadena, California 91125 and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 AUDITING TECHNOLOGY FOR ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINES Sharon B. Cohen MIT Key words: DRE, voting machine security, electronic voting, electronic voting machines, auditing technology VTP WORKING PAPER #46 May 2005 Auditing Technology for Electronic Voting Machines by Sharon B. Cohen Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degrees of Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering and Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology May 19, 2005 Copyright 2005 Sharon B. Cohen. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants to M.I.T. permission to reproduce and distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis and to grant others the right to do so. Author_________________________________________________________________ Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science May 19, 2005 Certified by___________________________________________________________ Ted Selker Thesis Supervisor Accepted by____________________________________________________________ Arthur C. Smith Chairman, Department Committee on Graduate Theses Auditing Technology for Electronic Voting Machines by Sharon B. Cohen Submitted to the Department of Electrical Engineering
    [Show full text]
  • Election Fraud Facts & Details
    Election Fraud Facts & Details Supporting Files for all items listed can be found at the following URL: https://ufile.io/by3q159v 1 FOREIGN INFLUENCE & NATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS IN US ELECTIONS 1.1 The core software utilized by Dominion, the 2nd largest US voting machine vendor, originates from intellectual property of Smartmatic; a company that was founded in communist Venezuala with links to Chavez. A. Smartmatic Ties to Hugo Chávez Warned About in 2006 B. SmartMatic Sells Sequoia Voting Systems to US Holding Company After CFIUS Probe C. Sequoia Admits that while they can change the source code (e.g. Software), Smartmatic still owns the intellectual property of the software. D. Dominion Buys Sequoia from Smartmatic and Diebold from ES&S 1.2 ES&S, Dominion, and Hart Intercivic represent 92% of voting machine market and have a long history of significant security vulnerabilities that could be exploited by a nation state in ways that would be difficult to detect. E. Map - Voting Machine Usage in the US F. Defcon 27 - Voting Machine Hacking Village - Vulnerablity Report G. Defcon 26 - Voting Machine Hacking Village - Vulnerablity Report.pdf H. History of ES&S and Diebold (Now Dominion) Vulnerabilities and Voting Inconsistiencies I. Antrim-Michigan-Forensics-Report-121320-v2-Redacted 1.3 An affidavit and scholarly statistical paper attest to Smartmatic rigging Venezualian elections. Smartmatic has also been accused of rigging elections in the Philippines and India J. Venezuala Smartmatic Affidavit K. Statistical Science - 2011 - Volume 26 - Number 4 - Analysis of the 2004 Venezuala Referendum - Official Results Verses the Petition Signatures L. Smartmatic Voting Technology Firm Linked to Alleged Fraud in Elections in Philippines, Venezuela M.
    [Show full text]
  • Irregularities in the Venezuelan Elections During
    Electoral Irregularities A Typology Based on Venezuela under Chavismo Draft February 6, 2018 Javier Corrales1 Department of Political Science Amherst College [email protected] This is a draft document. Please help improve this document by reporting any errors and omissions to [email protected]. 1 I am grateful to Alejandro Sucre, Federico Sucre, and Franz von Bergen for their research assistance. 1 Electoral Irregularities: A Typology based on Venezuela under Chavismo Venezuela’s Chavista period (1999-present) has often been praised for its frequent electoral activity. But it has also been characterized by two, less praiseworthy features: irregularities and biased electoral reforms. These features have worsened over time. To date, the total number of irregularities is 117. From the very beginning, almost every electoral process has featured at least one major irregularity or system biases in favor of the incumbent party. These irregularities consist of practices, rules, and even laws that depart from either the spirit or the letter of the Constitution or from international standards for conducting “free and fair” elections. This paper provides a typology of electoral irregularities in Venezuela in the Chavista era, 1999-present. The full list appears in the Appendix. Irregularities are classified according to three characteristics: timing, type, and effect. Regarding timing, the evidence shows that electoral irregularities occurred since the start of the Chavista era (referendum on whether to conduct a constituent assembly, 1999) and expanded over overtime during the entire Hugo Chávez administration (1999-2013). They have become ubiquitous now under Nicolás Maduro (2013- present). Regarding type, each irregularity is classified according to the following categories: 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Lawsuit to Set the Record Straight, to Vindicate Its Rights, and to Recover Damages for the Devastating Economic Harm Done to Its Business
    IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE ) US DOMINION, INC., DOMINION ) VOTING SYSTEMS, INC., and ) DOMINION VOTING SYSTEMS ) CORPORATION, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) Case No. v. ) ) JURY TRIAL DEMANDED FOX NEWS NETWORK, LLC, ) ) Defendant. ) ) COMPLAINT 1. Fox, one of the most powerful media companies in the United States, gave life to a manufactured storyline about election fraud that cast a then-little- known voting machine company called Dominion as the villain. After the November 3, 2020 Presidential Election, viewers began fleeing Fox in favor of media outlets endorsing the lie that massive fraud caused President Trump to lose the election. They saw Fox as insufficiently supportive of President Trump, including because Fox was the first network to declare that President Trump lost Arizona. So Fox set out to lure viewers back—including President Trump himself— by intentionally and falsely blaming Dominion for President Trump’s loss by rigging the election. 1 2. Fox endorsed, repeated, and broadcast a series of verifiably false yet devastating lies about Dominion. These outlandish, defamatory, and far-fetched fictions included Fox falsely claiming that: (1) Dominion committed election fraud by rigging the 2020 Presidential Election; (2) Dominion’s software and algorithms manipulated vote counts in the 2020 Presidential Election; (3) Dominion is owned by a company founded in Venezuela to rig elections for the dictator Hugo Chávez; and (4) Dominion paid kickbacks to government officials who used its machines in the 2020 Presidential Election. 3. Fox recklessly disregarded the truth. Indeed, Fox knew these statements about Dominion were lies. Specifically, Fox knew the vote tallies from Dominion machines could easily be confirmed by independent audits and hand recounts of paper ballots, as has been done repeatedly since the election.
    [Show full text]
  • Final Michigan Notice of Supplemental Authority
    CASE NO. 20-815 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES In Re: IN RE: TIMOTHY KING, MARIAN ELLEN SHERIDAN, JOHN EARL HAGGARD, CHARLES JAMES RITCHARD, JAMES DAVID HOOPER and DAREN WADE RUBINGH, Petitioners, v. GRETCHEN WHITMER, in her official capacity as Governor of the State of Michigan, JOCELYN BENSON, in her official capacity as Michigan Secretary of State and the Michigan BOARD OF STATE CANVASSERS, Respondent. PETITIONERS’ NOTICE OF SUPPLEMENTAL AUTHORITY SIDNEY POWELL Counsel of Record Texas Bar No. 16209700 Sidney Powell, P.C. 2911 Turtle Creek Blvd., Suite 300 Dallas, Texas 75219 (517) 763-7499 [email protected] Of Counsel JULIA Z. HALLER BRANDON JOHNSON EMILY P. NEWMAN Howard Kleinhendler HOWARD KLEINHENDLER New York Bar No. 2657120 Howard Kleinhendler Esquire 369 Lexington Avenue, 12th Floor New York, New York 10017 (917) 793-1188 [email protected] L. LIN WOOD Georgia Bar No. 774588 L. LIN WOOD, P.C. P.O. Box 52584 Atlanta, GA 30305-0584 (404) 891-1402 STEFANIE LAMBERT JUNTTILA 500 Griswold Street, Suite 2340. Detroit, Michigan 48301 (248) 270-6689 [email protected] SCOTT HAGERSTROM 222 West Genesee Lansing, Michigan 48933 GREGORY J. ROHL 41850 West 11 Mile Road, Suite 110 Novi, Michigan 48375 ii CORPORATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT There are no corporations involved in this case. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Authorities ....................................................................................................... v Facts ..............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]