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Éver Villalba questioned the TSJE over changes to voting machine software
The Liberal senator said the Electoral Justice’s response to the flaws detected reinforces his doubts about the system. He also said there is no longer any political or time margin to push for a new audit before the municipal elections.
Senator Éver Villalba questioned the Superior Tribunal of Electoral Justice over its refusal to move forward with a new request to audit voting machines and said the agency’s arguments expose weaknesses in the system, according to Última Hora.
According to that outlet, the proposal to audit the equipment did not advance in the Senate’s Committee on Electoral Affairs, although the Electoral Justice did respond to the initiative by the Liberal legislator.
Villalba said the official explanation of an alleged human error actually reveals problems in the software. According to his statements quoted by Última Hora, the system does not have a security mechanism that prevents the printing of certificates with a zero result.
The senator also took aim at a software update mentioned by the TSJE. He said it was a “patch” and questioned who authorized it, who took part in the process and who audited it. From that, he warned, again according to Última Hora, that the Electoral Justice could modify the software without the knowledge of third parties even after the audits, which raises questions about the chain of custody.
He also lashed out at the TSJE’s director of Electoral Processes, Carlos María Ljubetic, whom he accused of having advised Cartismo on electoral matters. He also cast doubt on his qualifications by pointing out that he does not have a university degree, according to the same outlet.
With the municipal elections on October 4 two weeks away, Villalba acknowledged that there is no longer time or votes in the Senate to insist on another audit. In that context, he said he is working with proxies and polling station members so that voters know they can request a change of ballots if they detect any irregularity or have doubts during the process.
According to Última Hora, the legislator considered that, in this scenario, greater responsibility falls on citizens to safeguard the transparency of the elections.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this fact.
