Editing Elections in Venezuela (section)

==Polling procedure==
{{See also|National Electoral Council (Venezuela)}}
Since 1998 elections in Venezuela have become more automated, and administered by the [[National Electoral Council (Venezuela)|National Electoral Council]], with poll workers drafted via a lottery of registered voters. Polling places are equipped with multiple [[Touchscreen|touch-screen]] [[DRE voting machine]]s, one per ''"mesa electoral"'', or voting "table". After the vote is cast, each machine prints out a [[Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail|paper ballot]], or [[VVPAT]], which is inspected by the voter and deposited in a ballot box belonging to the machine's table. The voting machines perform in a stand-alone fashion, disconnected from any network until the polls close.<ref name=manual>''Consejo Nacional Electoral'' [http://www.cne.gov.ve/elecciones/presidencial2006/documentos/ManualPresidencial2006.zip Manual Operativo para Miembros, Secretaria o Secretario de Mesa Electoral] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927013043/http://www.cne.gov.ve/elecciones/presidencial2006/documentos/ManualPresidencial2006.zip |date=September 27, 2007 }}. Retrieved 28 November 2006 {{in lang|es}}</ref> Voting session closure at each of the voting stations in a given polling center is determined either by the lack of further voters after the lines have emptied, or by the hour, at the discretion of the president of the voting table.

Voters register fingerprints and identity card details onto the Electoral Register, and these are verified during the voting process.<ref name=embavenez/> Voters sign a register to confirm that they have voted, and have a finger marked with [[election ink]].<ref>''[[The Guardian]]'', 14 April 2013, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/apr/14/venezuela-votes-hi-tech-poll-chavez-successor Venezuela votes in hi-tech poll to choose Chávez successor]</ref>

In March 2018, [[Smartmatic]], the British electoral products company (now ''SGO Corporation'') which had participated in the majority of elections under the Bolivarian government, ceased operations in Venezuela, stating that they could no longer guarantee the validity of election results through its machines.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180306005537/en/Smartmatic-Announces-Cease-Operations-Venezuela|title=Smartmatic Announces Cease of Operations in Venezuela|date=6 March 2018|work=[[Business Wire]]|access-date=8 March 2018|language=en}}</ref>

===Tally scrutinization===
After the polls close at any voting table, the following steps are carried out:<ref name=manual />
*The [[DRE voting machine]] is ordered to close the voting session.
*Tally scrutinization announced.
*Each voting machine prints an original tally sheet, each has a voter total and the number of votes cast for each candidate cast in that particular machine/table.
*Each voting machine is connected to the network and the results are sent to the vote counting center.
*Nine extra tally sheets are printed and distributed to the staff and the six representatives of the candidates that received the most votes.
*With the original tally sheet in hand the total number of votes cast is compared to the signed up sheet or electoral notebook. Finally, for those machines chosen for the audit (see below) the electoral ballots, or paper trails, are counted one by one to determine if they add up to the totals in the tally sheet. Any anomaly is mentioned in the tally sheet report, signed by the staff and auditors, and then sealed and given to the military for delivery to the CNE.

===Random paper ballot audit===
Once the tally scrutinization is complete the staff proceeds to perform a random paper ballot audit of 54.31% of the machines. Each voting center can have anywhere from one to twelve voting machines, occasionally up to fifteen. The staff randomly selects the tables/machines by drawing a number out of a paper hat. The size of the draw is dependent on the number of tables/machines.<ref name=manual />

The following procedures occur step by step:<ref name=manual />

* Polls are closed
* Tally scrutinization finishes
* Random paper ballot audit announced
* The machines are randomly selected drawing numbers out of a paper hat
* The machine's serial number is recorded
* The corresponding paper ballot box is selected and opened
* The paper ballots results for each candidate are openly counted
* With the original tally printed from the electronic results, both results are audited
* Any anomaly (even if by one vote) is recorded in the audit report
* The original audit report is signed by staff and observers, officially sealed and handed to the military for delivery to the CNE
* Copies are handed over to the representatives of the two highest vote getters.