Election authorities in Dominican Republic failed once again
to modernize its elections through technology. This time around the problems
surfaced during the municipal elections held on February 16, 2020.
Only four hours after polls opened, the Junta Central
Electoral, the Dominican electoral body, realized that something was wrong with
the voting machines. Julio Cesar Castanos, president of the Junta Central, acknowledged
that nearly half of the voting machines did not work, leaving citizens unable
to cast their votes.
One day before the election, officials had been warned of a
problem with the technology, yet, they thought it could be fixed. “We were
warned, but not of the magnitude of the problem,” Mr. Castanos Guzman said.
“They told us it was an issue that could be fixed the second the machines were
installed.”
The automated voting system was deployed in 18 of the 158
municipalities and focused on cities and regions with high population density.
Traditional voting was used elsewhere.
This major mishap should not come as a surprise. In a video
that leaked after the suspension of the elections, Guzman admitted that
they had not done sufficient testing ahead of the election. Also, in 2016, the
Junta Central Electoral failed its attempt to automate the voter authentication
process. Although the electronic poll books did not work, authorities managed
to complete the election that time.
Although there are many reasons why this municipal election
failed, one that cannot be overlooked is the fact that authorities dared to
develop the system themselves with the help of providers that had zero election
expertise. Instead of relying on expert companies and technology that is
already available, they insisted on creating their own. Their lack of experience
is now bare naked.
