Voting booth with Brazilian electronic ballot machine

Brazilian electronic ballot machine in a voting booth: a symbol of digital democracy that eliminated electoral fraud since 1996.

About this subject

The Brazilian electronic voting machine, known as "urna eletrônica", has been used in Brazilian elections since 1996. It was developed by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) in partnership with the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) and the company OMNITECH. The system was implemented to replace paper ballots, which were frequent targets of fraud. Since its adoption, Brazil has not recorded large-scale electoral fraud, making it one of the most secure voting systems in the world. The machine runs on proprietary software and uses encryption to ensure vote secrecy. Before each election, the machines undergo public security tests, where experts attempt to breach the system to identify vulnerabilities. The voting process is fast: the voter types the candidate's number and confirms, and the vote is stored in an internal memory. At the end of voting, a ballot report with partial results is printed and transmitted to the TSE via an encrypted network. The voting booth, usually made of plastic or metal, ensures voter privacy. In 2022, Brazil had over 500,000 electronic voting machines distributed across the country, including rural and indigenous areas. The Brazilian electronic voting machine has served as a model for other countries, such as India, Japan, and Argentina, which adopted similar systems.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the electronic voting machine ensure vote security?

The electronic voting machine uses encryption to store and transmit votes, and undergoes public security tests before each election. The system is audited by experts and political parties.

Since when has the electronic voting machine been used in Brazil?

The electronic voting machine was introduced in 1996, with the first municipal elections. By 2000, it was used nationwide.

Has the electronic voting machine ever been hacked?

There are no records of successful hacking in real elections. Security tests conducted by the TSE demonstrate that the system is resistant to intrusions.