Smartmatic

Our history

Smartmatic has helped hundreds of millions of voters cast 6.5 billion votes in thousands of elections around the world. Better use of technology and cybersecurity in voting systems increases the transparency, efficiency and integrity of elections and makes voting more accessible. This allows societies to reverse declining trends in turnout and citizen participation.

We continue bringing our groundbreaking technologies to new countries every year, and we are ardent promoters of the benefits of secure election automation. Explore our timeline to discover some of the key milestones in our history.

Today

May, 2023

In the first five months of 2023, we assisted election commissions in Australia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Albania to modernize their elections.

February, 2023

We introduced our new line of election technology VVSG 2.0-compliant line for US market built to next-level standards in security, accessibility and efficiency.

2022

December, 2022

Our technologies and services help modernize 32 elections in nine countries in 2022, increasing results transparency and security.

September, 2022

Kenya deploys robust election technology to help authorities authenticate voters and speed the publication of tally reports.

March, 2022

Albania deploys cutting-edge biometric voter authentication and e-voting machines in six municipalities.

February, 2022

Norway again deploys internet voting to help boost voter participation in a regional referendum.

2021

December, 2021

We help citizens in 11 democratic countries with advanced technology, from election administration to voter authentication to online voting - all in less than 12 months.

November, 2021

Honduras for the first time uses biometric technology to authenticate more than 3 million voters during the general elections.

September, 2021

After years building its voter registry, Zambia launches first biometric voter authentication at polling places.

June, 2021

CGI and Smartmatic work with the Greater London Authority (GLA) to successfully deliver e-counting for approximately 7.9 million hand-marked paper ballots.

May, 2021

In a step toward modernizing its elections, Bulgaria deploys 3,000 electronic voting machines as a pilot to a potential nationwide rollout.

2020

2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Smartmatic expands its risk-mitigation portfolio with PPE, products and strategies to ensure safe in-person voting.

November, 2020

Los Angeles County, America’s largest election jurisdiction, deploys almost 20,000 ballot marking devices (BMDs) to nearly 800 vote centers for the 2020 US Presidential election.

2019

May, 2019

Smartmatic provides the Philippines with the tools for results transmissions, ballot boxes and batteries in 4th automated election. In 2018, the country purchased 92,509 Smartmatic optical scanners for vote counting.

March, 2019

Online participation reaches 44,4% of all votes cast in Estonia’s Parliamentary elections, an increase of 40% over the same elections in 2015.

2018

October, 2018

Our customized election solution allows Belgian authorities to broadcast timely results during the local elections held across the country.

June, 2018

Los Angeles County selects Smartmatic to help election authorities manufacture and implement the County’s new system for 2020.

June, 2018

Smartmatic joins the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Sector Coordinating Council for the Election Infrastructure Subsector.

May, 2018

Voters in the Norway's Finnmark province use the Smartmatic-Cybernetica online voting solution during a referendum. 85% of participants preferred voting online.

2017

October, 2017

Authorities in Italy rely on Smartmatic for technology and services to deploy 24,700 touchscreen voting machines across Lombardy to serve 7.8 million voters.

October, 2017

The National Election Chamber of Argentina  uses Smartmatic technology for voter identity in Chaco, Corrientes, Jujuy, Formosa, Misiones & Salta and 14 municipalities in Greater Buenos Aires.

April, 2017

More than 4,000 VIU-800 biometric devices authenticate voters in Armenia during Parliamentary elections in April. Our technology also helps operators manage polling stations.

January, 2017

Our biometric technology helps authorities in Sierra Leone to register voters across the entire country ahead of the 2018 national elections.

2016

December, 2016

Authorities in Oman deploy Smartmatic vote counting machines in polling stations, making the process more efficient and transparent.

March, 2016

In Utah’s Republican primary, 80% of voters who registered online casts votes online. 94% describe the experience as good. 97% would prefer voting online in the next election.

February, 2016

Uganda deploys 30,500 biometric devices to accurately authenticate voters in its general elections.Here are some testimonials from voters who used this technology.

2015

December, 2015

Residents of Chile’s Maipu Commune cast ballots online or in precincts equipped with electronic voting machines to decide how to allocate public funds among 225 projects.

November, 2015

Our technology enables election authorities in remote areas in Sierra Leone to streamline election result transmission and certify the results via biometrics.

November, 2015

Richmond, Virginia (USA) tests our ePen during the general election. This groundbreaking device allows officials to streamline reporting and results transmission.

July, 2015

Smartmatic's third election in Mexico includes streamlining preliminary results for an election in Chiapas. We helped Campeche and Tabasco earlier in the year.

July, 2015

We conduct our first major election in Argentina. The electronic voting solution in La Falda and Marcos Juarez to deliver official results just 45 minutes.

June, 2015

Smartmatic ISO

Smartmatic earns ISO 9001 Quality Management System and ISO 14001 Environmental Management System certifications, reflecting our commitment to improvement.

2014

November, 2014

CEO Antonio Mugica and Chairman Lord Mark Malloch-Brown launch SGO to help governments improve elections, efficiency, pollution control, and identity management.

October, 2014

The digital ePen improves the speed, accuracy and integrity of traditional ballot-counting processes for the first time in a local UK election.

June, 2014

The new multidisciplinary center for research and development in Estonia will advance remote and internet voting for use on a global scale.

May, 2014

Belgium conducts the first European Union Parliamentary election ever using a voter verified e-voting solution, with our technology.

February, 2014

We deliver auditable and secure results in local elections in record-breaking time for the province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.

2013

2013

By creating a better database, we help Haiti provide its citizens with better services in the years following the devastating earthquake of 2010.

April, 2013

Smartmatic election technology helps ensure result integrity where the two main candidates were separated by just 1.49%. All parties audit the voting platform 15 times.

2012

November, 2012

Our system provides a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) in Chicago, the third largest jurisdiction in the US.

October, 2012

Belgium chooses us to design and manufacture its election hardware and software for the next 15 years.

We deploy the first batch of 20,000 machines and in October, Belgium has a successful automated election – our first in Europe.

October, 2012

We set up 500,000 voting machines, hire and train support staff for 400,000 vote centers, and configure and deploy 1,320 BGAN Sabre satellite terminals to transmit results in Brazil.

2010

2010

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) chooses Smartmatic for Zambia's biometric voter register. Voter registration increases 40%. Read the case study.

May, 2010

In the largest outsourced automated election, 50 million voters in the Philippines are able to see the results in less than a day.

January, 2010

Following a devastating earthquake, we send people and equipment to Haiti to register citizens, which helps to quickly put aid where it is most needed.

2009

August, 2009

In Bolivia, Smartmatic delivers the fastest biometric voter registration in the world – 5 million citizens in less than 75 days. Read the case study

2009

Biometric registration allows Mexico's government to issue citizens national identity cards. Our rugged, portable kits perform even in very remote areas. Read the case study

2008

August, 2008

We provide a pioneering voting solution for Mindanao province that increases voter participation and delivers election results in record time. It is the first automated election in the Philippines.

2008

We open new offices in Manila, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, expanding Smartmatic's footprint and its ability to provide fast service worldwide.

2007

April, 2007

Over 76,000 citizens in Curacao use auditable Smartmatic technology to vote in the Dutch Antilles' Insular Council elections. As a result, all parties accept the results.

2006

2006

We provide technology and services to Chicago, the only jurisdiction in the US with encrypted results transmission. It’s the third biggest jurisdiction after LA and NYC.

2005

2005

The Carter Center, founded by former US president Jimmy Carter to advance human rights, and the European Union validate our voting technology as secure, reliable and auditable.

2005

The company introduces its secure voting technology platform, which offers auditable elections and rapid results delivery to US market.

2005

Smartmatic continues it commitment to be the industry leader in research and development opening a second R&D facility, this one in Taipei, Taiwan.

2004

2004

Venezuela’s 2004 elections are the first election ever to use a VVPAT – voter-verified paper trail. This feature is now the de facto standard worldwide.

2003

2003

Enabling hyper-secure connection between devices, our NEA technology will form the basis of our future election platform.

2003

Smartmatic applies its cybersecurity technology to elections and develops its first voting machine.

2002

2002

Based on our Smartnet platform, our banking solution increases security for key customers in Mexico's banking sector.

2002

First 20 utility patents issued for technologies developed in-house will form the basis for almost all of the company's future election devices and tools.

2001

2001

Smartnet is one of the earliest platforms to enable the Internet of Things (IoT), a solution to make online protocols highly secure.

2000

2000

Smartmatic founded

Smartmatic was founded in Florida, USA, as a cybersecurity company in the IoT space.