Latin America Advisor 2022-08-03 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

June 13, 2022

How Secure Is Brazil’s Electronic Voting System?

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces a tough battle for re-election in October, has repeatedly raised allegations—without providing evidence—that the country’s voting system is susceptible to fraud. // File Photo: Brazilian Government.

Q

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on July 18 gathered foreign diplomats to his residence to repeat his claims that Brazil’s electoral system is susceptible to fraud. The claims by Bolsonaro, who has presented no evidence to support the allegations, has raised concerns that he will refuse to give up power or seek to overturn the results if he loses the October election to former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, whom he trails in polls. How reliable is Brazil’s electoral system, and what safeguards does it have to prevent fraud? Are the country’s election officials doing enough to prevent irregularities in the October vote? What role will international observers play in monitoring the election? How likely is it that Brazil will see an uncertain transfer of power in this year’s election?

A

Alfredo Attié, justice at the Supreme Court of São Paulo: “While no one questions the reliability of electronic devices that govern our daily lives, antidemocratic arguments from vile political interests are used to discredit the Brazilian electoral system with electronic voting machines. Electoral authorities have been proactive in responding to the threat by seeking oversight from international observers and civil society monitors, and by being transparent about the electronic and physical security measures of the electoral system: essentially encryption, digital signature and digital summary technologies, public sealing and monitoring of voting machines and software development, advanced control tools and fragmented access to the source code of voting systems, and no access to source code for the millions of people working in polling stations. Nevertheless, resistance to…”

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The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Gene Kuleta
Editor
P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Carl David
Goette-Luciak
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Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
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Donna Hrinak
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Jon E. Huenemann
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GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
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Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
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US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

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