US embassy cable - 04CARACAS2312

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 002312 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
STATE PASS USAID FOR DCHA/OTI 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/20/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, KDEM, PHUM, VE 
SUBJECT: VOTING SIMULATION: YANKEES NO, RED SOX SI 
 
Classified By: Abelardo A. Arias, Acting Deputy 
Chief of Mission, for Reason 1.4 (d). 
 
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Summary 
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1. (C) The National Electoral Council (CNE) successfully 
conducted a voting simulation on July 18 to prepare for the 
August 15 presidential recall referendum.  SBC, the 
consortium operating the new voting system, reported a 99.2 
percent success rate with the 5,200 machines distributed 
throughout Venezuela.  The voting simulation created live 
contingency planning session for SBC and served as a public 
information campaign for the new voting machines.  CNE, GoV, 
and opposition leaders were satisfied with the results.  The 
fingerprinting machines, however, have not been delivered and 
could become a technical and political issue on August 15. 
End summary. 
 
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Voting Centers 
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2. (C) Poloff observed six voting centers throughout Caracas 
on July 18 with Gustavo Ruiz, Coordinadora Democratica (CD) 
representative to the National Electoral Council (CNE).  All 
sites were open to the public on July 18 to encourage voters 
to become acquainted with the new machines and ask questions 
about the voting process.  Poloff observed low participation 
in five of the six sites, however, CNE and political party 
officials did not consider voter turnout to be a major issue. 
 Many of the sites did not have the requisite five election 
workers.  Many centers poloff visited had only one or two 
voting center leaders, and some had none. 
 
3. (C) Smartmatic or CANTV (part of the SBC consortium) 
representatives were present at half of the sites poloff 
visited during the voting simulation.  These representatives 
set up the voting machine and assisted with technical 
difficulties.  From an operational and technical perspective, 
all sites appeared to be working well.  On August 15, there 
will be an SBC representative at every voting center to 
assist with technical and/or operational problems. 
 
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Voting Process 
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4. (C) One election worker explained to poloff the voting 
process for the August 15 presidential recall referendum from 
a CNE-provided guide.  At the center's entrance, voting 
center members will have the Electoral Registry (REP) list of 
eligible voters for that particular center.  If the person is 
not on the list, they cannot enter the center.  Once 
registration is confirmed, the voter's fingerprints are taken 
to assure that they have not voted at another center.  After 
the voter's registration and fingerprints are confirmed, they 
proceed to a table to present their cedula and dip their 
pinky in an ink jar and then move to the voting booth.  After 
the vote is registered, the machine prints out a small piece 
of paper, to be folded by the person and placed in a box as 
the voter leaves.  Regarding security, poloff observed two to 
five National Guard troops at every center. 
 
5. (C) In the voting simulation organizers guided voters 
through the entire process, explained how the new voting 
machines worked, and allowed the voters to use them.  Poloff 
observed no problems with the operation of the voting 
machines.  Voters appeared to have sufficient time, the 
machine was easy to operate, and printed verification slip 
worked well.  The simulation question, "Which of the 
following baseball teams do you prefer?" offered two options, 
Caracas (on the left, "No" side) and Magallanes (on the 
right, "Yes" side).  This question was not without 
controversy.  Caracas is considered the Venezuelan version of 
the New York Yankees and the team of the upper-class, 
opposition-aligned voters, while the Magallanes are the 
Boston Red Sox of the Venezuelan baseball world (and Chavez' 
 
team). 
 
6. (C) On July 19, CNE directors reiterated their decision to 
not release the simulation results to avoid political spin. 
Pro-government newspaper Diario Vea, however, printed a 
front-page story on July 20 claiming that 400,000 people 
voted in the simulation and that the Magallanes received 60 
percent of the vote compared to 40 percent by Caracas. 
Diario Vea claimed that the Magallanes vote was associated 
with the "No" vote and it was one more time that the 
opposition had been dealt a blow.  The Diario Vea report is 
unsubstantiated and inaccurate because the "Caracas" option 
was in the same spot as the "No" and the "Magallanes" vote 
was in the "Si" spot. 
 
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Public Information Campaign 
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7. (C) Beyond reviewing technical issues, the voting 
simulation served as a public information campaign to allow 
voters to ask questions about the voting process, use the 
machines, and dispel rumors about the process.  The CNE 
provided each center with a guide about the machines and the 
voting process.  Representatives, either from the voting 
center or the SBC consortium, explained the process to voters 
who visited the sites.  Voters were able to use the machines 
and familiarize themselves with the actual process.  Voters 
also asked questions to the SBC and voting center 
representatives.  Voters repeatedly asked about the secrecy 
of the vote, which prompted CNE President Francisco 
Carresquero to tell reporters, "There is no way to know how a 
citizen voted.  The vote is absolutely secret." 
 
8. (C)  GoV and opposition media and leaders expressed their 
approval of the voting simulation.  In addition, both sides 
have begun public information campaigns for the August 15 
vote.  GoV-supported newspaper Diario Vea printed an article 
on July 19 explaining the voting process.  Venezolano de 
Television, the state television channel, is running CNE 
commercials that explain how to use the machine and reaffirm 
the secrecy and reliability of the voting machines.  Felipe 
Mujica, Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) President and 
Coordinadora Democratica representative to the CNE, asserted 
that the simulation will dispel rumors about the technical 
aspects of the referendum.  The Coordinadora delivered a 
detailed report to the CNE July 20 with its evaluation of the 
simulation, highlighting areas for improvement. 
 
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Possible Problems 
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9. (C) Possible problems still remain for the technical and 
operational aspects of August 15 presidential recall 
referendum.  SBC reported that 99.2 percent of the voting 
machines functioned without problem.  Of the 47 faulty 
machines, SBC asserted that most problems were due to the 
operator, not the machine.  The voting simulation, however, 
did not include the use of the fingerprinting machines. 
Mujica told Charge July 20 that it appeared unlikely that the 
CNE could implement the untested fingerprint system. 
Opposition leaders expressed some minor concerns about the 
technical difficulties of the July 18 simulation, but their 
principal concern are the delays caused by the fingerprinting 
machines.  Also, the Electoral Registry (REP) lists were not 
yet available to the voting centers. 
 
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Comment 
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10. (C) The July 18 voting simulation served its principal 
purpose: it helped identify faults and failures and helped 
many become familiar with the system.  All have initially 
expressed satisfaction with the results.  Nonetheless, 
questions remain.  The addition of the fingerprinting 
machines and the update of the REP lists could create lengthy 
delays on August 15.  The real purpose of the fingerprint 
 
machines may be to insinuate that the government will be able 
to know how the people voted. 
McFarland 
 
 
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      2004CARACA02312 - CONFIDENTIAL