The year 1996 is a milestone in the history of the computerization of the Brazilian electoral process, when voters in 57 cities had their first contact with the electronic ballot box. In the 1996 Municipal Elections, the votes of more than 32 million Brazilians – a third of the electorate at the time – were collected by around 70 electronic voting machines.
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The electronic ballot box emerged as a response to the limits of printed voting and counting carried out manually. Counting printed votes took longer and was more susceptible to errors.
How ballot boxes work
The equipment is manufactured by a company contracted through bidding by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). The products are inspected by the institution's technicians. As urnas “rotate” a developed by TSE, which includes the candidates and computes the vote.
As ballot box They have, on average, a useful life of ten years. During this period, they undergo several tests between elections. Batteries are charged quarterly. In the event of a power outage, the batteries in electronic voting machines have an operating autonomy of more than ten hours.
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According to the agency, there are “layers” of security that prevent third parties from invading and accessing the information on the device. If an attack is attempted, it causes a system reaction that “locks” the program and prevents it from being executed by someone outside.
On voting day, the ballot box does not operate connected to the internet or the TSE system. Thus, there is no way to access it or try to hack it remotely. According to the agency, the equipment uses the Linux operating system, which prevents the installation of programs that allow connection to external agents.
The equipment only works at the time and date of the claims.
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Inspection and audit
Six months before each election, the system is opened so that more than 15 institutions, such as political parties, the Public Ministry, the Federal Police, universities and professional associations, can qualify to verify the programs that will be adopted.
After this period, programs are sealed and shielded, passing through security mechanisms through signatures. These consist of authorizations given by managers and directors of the court, the Attorney General's Office and the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB).
A copy remains in the TSE safe as an alternative for verification. Others are sent to the regional electoral courts (TREs). When the It is installed in the ballot boxes, they read it and check the signatures. Only in this way does the ballot box work. Anything to the contrary, published on the internet, is FAKE NEWS!!
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Another inspection procedure carried out by the Electoral Court is select certain ballot boxes on the eve of the election and carry out a simulation of the votes at the headquarters of the TREs. This occurs with the participation of representatives of the candidates, with cameras filming the votes and after the end of the procedure there is a check whether the votes seen correspond to those recorded on the machine.
After each election, the TSE and the Electoral Court evaluate the system's performance and discuss what can be inserted, both in the equipment and in the programs used.
The Brazilian electoral system is a success. To date, there has been no proven record of fraud since its implementation, more than 20 years ago. In these elections, go vote calmly… THE BALLOT IS SAFE!
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Curto curation:
- Why electronic voting machines are safe (Superior Electoral Court)
- Electronic ballot box and security of the electoral process (electoral justice)
- Discover the history of the electronic voting machine in Brazil (Crumbs)
- Is Brazil alone in adopting electronic voting? (JOT)
- Electronic ballot box 25 years old: launched in 1996, the equipment is the protagonist of the largest computerized election in the world (Superior Electoral Court)
(With Agency Brazil)
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