(C) Of course, the Venezuelan opposition is convinced that
the Smartmatic machines robbed them of victory in the August
2004 referendum. Since then, there have been at least eight
statistical analyses performed on the referendum results.
Most of the studies cross-check the results with those of
exit polls, the signature drives and previous election
results. One study obtained the data log from the CANTV
network and supposedly proved that the Smartmatic machines
were bi-directional and in fact showed irregularities in how
they reported their results to the CNE central server during
the referendum. (Note: The most suspicious data point in
the Smartmatic system was that the machines contacted the
server before printing their results, providing the
opportunity, at least, to change the results and defeat the
rudimentary checks set up by international observation
missions. Since August 2004, the CNE has not repeated this
practice.) These somewhat conspiratorial reports perhaps
serve to breathe life into a defeated opposition, but have
never proved conclusively the fraud (refs b and c).
(C) The Smartmatic machines suffered a major blow,
however, when in a test prior to the December 2005 National
Assembly elections an opposition technician was able to
defeat the machine's allegedly random storage protocols and,
therefore, the secrecy of the vote. The technician took
advantage of the fact that the computerized machines used a
Windows operating system. A simple program downloaded from
the Internet accessed underlying Windows files created "in
order" as the machine processed Smartmatic's "randomizing"
software. Although Smartmatic officials argued convincingly
that such controlled results could not be feasibly replicated
CARACAS 00002063 003.2 OF 004
during a real election (ref d), the opposition parties
boycotted. Abstention rates soared to at least 75 percent
and confidence in the CNE among opposition voters plummeted.
The disastrous results left Chavez with 100-percent control
of the National Assembly, an albatross around the neck of a
leader trying to appear democratic.
CARACAS' VIEW OF SMARTMATIC AND ITS VOTING MACHINES
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/06CARACAS2063_a.html
A Shadow of Fraud
(C) Of course, the Venezuelan opposition is convinced that the Smartmatic machines robbed them of victory in the August 2004 referendum. Since then, there have been at least eight statistical analyses performed on the referendum results. Most of the studies cross-check the results with those of exit polls, the signature drives and previous election results. One study obtained the data log from the CANTV network and supposedly proved that the Smartmatic machines were bi-directional and in fact showed irregularities in how they reported their results to the CNE central server during the referendum. (Note: The most suspicious data point in the Smartmatic system was that the machines contacted the server before printing their results, providing the opportunity, at least, to change the results and defeat the rudimentary checks set up by international observation missions. Since August 2004, the CNE has not repeated this practice.) These somewhat conspiratorial reports perhaps serve to breathe life into a defeated opposition, but have never proved conclusively the fraud (refs b and c).
(C) The Smartmatic machines suffered a major blow, however, when in a test prior to the December 2005 National Assembly elections an opposition technician was able to defeat the machine's allegedly random storage protocols and, therefore, the secrecy of the vote. The technician took advantage of the fact that the computerized machines used a Windows operating system. A simple program downloaded from the Internet accessed underlying Windows files created "in order" as the machine processed Smartmatic's "randomizing" software. Although Smartmatic officials argued convincingly that such controlled results could not be feasibly replicated
CARACAS 00002063 003.2 OF 004
during a real election (ref d), the opposition parties boycotted. Abstention rates soared to at least 75 percent and confidence in the CNE among opposition voters plummeted. The disastrous results left Chavez with 100-percent control of the National Assembly, an albatross around the neck of a leader trying to appear democratic.