Declassified CIA Memo Questions Venezuela's Electronic Voting System, Highlighting Jorge Rodríguez's Role

A recently declassified CIA memorandum has reignited debate over the integrity of Venezuela's electronic voting system, placing Jorge Rodríguez, a central architect of the system, back under scrutiny. The memo details persistent intelligence concerns regarding the potential for electronic vote manipulation in the country.

The document, titled "Summary of Select Intelligence Reporting from 2004-2020 on Venezuela’s Electronic Voting Manipulation Capabilities," highlights intelligence gathered over a 16-year period. It points to ongoing worries about Venezuelan officials' interest in influencing electoral outcomes through electronic voting mechanisms.

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There is no other electoral system as reliable as the Venezuelan one.

Jorge Rodríguez, currently the president of the National Assembly and a key negotiator for the ruling party, has a long history with Venezuela's electoral council. He served as president of the National Electoral Council (CNE) from January 2005 to April 2006 and headed the National Electoral Board during the 2004 recall referendum. Throughout his career, Rodríguez has been a staunch defender of the Venezuelan electoral system, repeatedly asserting its trustworthiness and technological advancement.

In October 2021, he famously stated, "There is no other electoral system as reliable as the Venezuelan one." He has also described the system as "one of the best in the whole world." These assertions stand in contrast to the concerns raised in the declassified CIA report. The memo also references Smartmatic, the company that supplied electoral technology to Venezuela for over a decade before ceasing operations in the country in March 2018 after alleging irregularities in an election.

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one of the best in the whole world