Central Election Commission to Invest $4.5 Million in Electronic Vote Counting Technology

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has entered into a $4.5 million contract with British company Smartmatic International Holding for electronic vote counting and biometric authentication of voters.

Along with the purchase, the CEC will receive necessary software for precincts to transmit their results to district commissions.

The list of equipment to be purchased includes 840 voter identity recognition devices, 520 electronic vote counting devices and ballot boxes each, and software compatible with MS SQL for transmitting results to the CEC server, along with 170 tablets.

Smartmatic International Holding, a Netherlands-registered company that operates internationally, has provided similar technology for elections in various countries. Delivery of the equipment is expected between March and May 2023. In February 2023, the CEC established rules and conditions for voting via electronic means, which govern the introduction of new technologies in elections.