Smartmatic

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Smartmatic
Type	Privately held
Founded	1998
Headquarters	Global contact offices, multinational
Key people	Antonio Mugica, CEO
Industry	Technology, Electronic voting
Products	SAES: Smartmatic Automated Election System, USP: Unified Security Platform,SIMS: Smartmatic Identity Management Solution,Voting machines: SAES3300, SAES4000,Registry and authentication devices
Website	www.smartmatic.com

Smartmatic (also referred as Smartmatic Corp. or Smartmatic International) is a company founded in In 2000 that specializes in the design and end-to-end deployment of complex purpose-specific technology solutions.

Smartmatic is organized around three business areas: Electronic voting systems, integrated security systems , and systems for people registration and authentication for government applications.

Smartmatic has offices in the US, Mexico, Venezuela, Barbados, Spain, Philippines and Taiwan.

Contents 1 Solutions 1.1 Electronic voting 1.2 Security applications 1.3 Identity management 2 Major implementations 3 Controversy in the electoral market 4 See also 5 News links 6 References

[edit] Solutions

[edit] Electronic voting

"Smartmatic Automated Election System (SAES)" includes a variety of security mechanisms. It includse the generation of a public key infrastructure (PKI) using strong 2048-bit digital certificates. This electoral solution has seven instances of vote verification:

1. The security ballot-printout (VVPAT), using watermarked paper and safety ink.
2. The fixed memory in every voting machine, containing all votes cast;
3. The removable memory in each voting machine, likewise containing all votes cast;
4. The official tally vote summary of the poll table.
5. The electronic votes transmitted to the tabulation centers.
6. The electronic tally vote summary transmitted to the tabulation centers.
7. The printed tabulation report.

The hardware includes voting machine models with voter verified paper audit trail, redundant memory, encryption of information, integrated printer, a screen designed to support multiple choice election processes, tactile remote control, earphones and sip and puff device for disabled voters, It provides an electronic ballot customized according to the conventions and specific needs of electorate (such as background on candidates, eligible posts, political party, name and (photo) graphic image of the candidates).

The software comprises an Electoral Management System (EMS), using the data on candidates, electoral seats and political parties, to define and configure the election. The configuration files of every voting machine can be generated to confirm the system’s proper functioning. The Election Day Management Platform (EDMP) suite of management tools directs the technicians and operators installing and manning the voting machines. It also monitors the installation in real time; the opening, closing and auditing of the polling booths; the transmission of results and the backing up of data during the event.

[edit] Security applications

The "Smartmatic’s Unified Security Platform (USP)" automates the interaction between network devices, operators, end users, and security specific applications. It is designed to provide an end to end solution for emergency response; using technology to aid processing of emergency calls with efficiency and to provide immediate response. It includes hardware for controllers, IP cameras / DVRs, a car PC, and associated sensors. The software "SmartCad" includes: call center and dispatch modules, telephone service and elements related to first level emergency handling, cartographic interface, evaluation of service quality and operator performance, coordination of personnel, shift management and workload balancing between operators, reports and graphic representation of data.

A suite of Banking Security Software includes: centralized supervision (controls and monitors security systems, video-surveillance and alarm management), access control (management of the flow of employees and visitors), automated response to alarms, remote control of devices, diagnosis of system and components, and consolidated reports.

[edit] Identity management

"Smartmatic Identity Management Solutions (SIMS)" former known as People Authentication and Registration (PAR), enables government agencies to manage people’s biographic and biometric information securely, including From voter registration to civil registration, from immigration control to national identity projects. It uses specialised mobile Devices for enrollment of people in field applicationsand an integrated system for stationary use. It includes software for ID management, and a back-office system for data consolidation and safeguards.

[edit] Major implementations

The company won an open bid in 2004 for the automation of electoral processes in Venezuela. Since then, its SAES system has been used in six elections and has recorded more than 50 million votes, each with a voter-verified printed receipt. In 2007, the company won the contract to provide the SAES automated voting system to the Isle of Curacao.

USP was installed in more than 500 branches of Santander-Serfin Bank, (Mexico). Since 2006, the Office of the Mayor of Metropolitan Caracas in Venezuela began the installation of the integrated public security system that helps authorities to provide immediate responses to citizens whose safety has been jeopardized.

[edit] Controversy in the electoral market

With SAES technology it has been held seven national elections in Venezuela and Curacao. Its experience includes more than fifty million registered votes, each with a voter verifiable paper audit trail and more than 35,000 voting machines installed in more than 11,000 polling centers. However, in Venezuela, after the recall referendum for President Hugo Chavez in 2004 some controversy has been brought onto the use of electronic voting (SAES voting machines) in that country. The legal basis for this process of automation is found in Article 33(42) of the LOPE (2002), and in Article 154 of the LOSPP (1988) ^[1]

In the post-referendum period, the opposition cried for fraud and submitted appeals as well as two technical reports, yet, representatives from internationally election observation agencies attested that elections conducted using SAES were at that time and have been (in the following elections) fair, accurate and run smoothly. These agencies include the Carter Center^[2], the Organization of American States (OAS)^[3] and the European Union (EU)^[4]. ^[5], ^[6], ^[7], ^[8]

[edit] See also

• Civil registration
• Biometrics
• Electronic Voting
• DRE voting machine
• Venezuelan recall referendum, 2004

== External links ==

• Company website (www.smartmatic.com)
• Elections with SAES (Corporate information including scope, audits, how to vote and results of each election)
• ProCon's "Do DRE's improve the voting process?" review

[edit] News links

• Smartmatic Voting Solution Delivers Political Breakthrough in Venezuelan Referendum (Reuters, 2007)
• CEO Summit to feature address by Latin America technology leader (HispanicMPR, 2006)
• Fair and Square Vote in Venezuela (The Nation, 2006)
• A Crucial Vote for Venezuela and a Company (New York Times, 2004)

[edit] References