The collegiate body rejected accusations made by President Bukele of a “false simulation”. The TSE also reiterated that the software used this Sunday is the same for the February 28 elections.
The magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, after resetting the data transmission, observed the development of the process in different polling stations. The Court emphasized that no urgency had been declared and that the simulation of the transmission of election results had been carried out normally.
The magistrates held a press conference at 19.00, where they evaluated the development of the exercise. At 8 p.m., Magistrate Julio Olivo said the trial was considered a “success,” as they completed 80 percent of the records.
The collegiate body rejected the accusations made by President Bukele about a “false simulation”. The TSE denied the information the president had responded to by saying it was declared an “emergency due to system failures”. “What the president said is false or those who misinformed him,” Olivo said.
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In addition, TSE technicians reported that the software used today is the same as the one they will use on February 28th.
IT commissioner Eduardo Lozano stressed that the results are satisfactory, that the system worked, both the software and the equipment: “As an IT area we are satisfied with the results, with this we inform the public that EST is ready to organize the elections of 28 February ”.
Judge Olivo also stressed that there is a right to electoral oversight by political parties, “but that they cannot impede the work of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.”
Magistrate Olivo added that attacks had been received on the system; that a computer security company has been hired and that the arrival of the Spanish National Cryptological Center is expected.
The TSE reported on the simulation of the national broadcast on the simulation being carried out from 1,595 polling stations. Photo: TSE
Verification of data transmission using table technology
Afternoon. EST President Dora Esmeralda Martínez; and TSE Magistrate Noel Orellana arrived at the Concha Viuda de Escalón Educational Complex to observe the use of technology on the table.
Judge Orellana pointed out that various institutions such as the Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights and the Prosecutor’s Office observed the transmission process in the polling stations and the same members of the technical assistance who used the equipment mentioned that there were no errors in the transmission of files.
Magistrate Orellana also spoke about the sanitary protocol for February 28, where he said that they will have the supply and that the purchase contract is in progress.
“This week we approved it, we at the end of the week believe that (they will approve it), remember that these (supplies) must go into the electoral package, alcohol gel, gloves, must wear protective masks, all those assets that will be used by the members who will make up the voting commissions “, Judge Orellana declared.
He mentioned that people who have a fever when they get to the polling stations will be able to vote, because, according to the constitutional law, a Salvadoran cannot be prevented from voting, who can vote in health protection measures.
“We will establish all preventive measures. Councilors will need to indicate the steps to be taken by all those who come to the polling stations. It cannot be limited to one person, no matter how high the temperature, it is a constitutional right and “that is why they will be offered facilities,” said Magistrate Orellana.
This Sunday, the 50 polling stations in San Salvador opened at 7:00 a.m. with the receipt of the packages.
During the afternoon, the collegiate body set the system to zero, so that the transmission of minutes from 1,595 polling stations located throughout the country began at 16:00.
“We hope that everything goes well so that the problems of the previous year do not arise, because this is the type of test,” said the president of the Municipal Electoral Council of San Salvador, Karina Barahona.
In this exercise, the collegiate entity sought to solve the problems with printers and internet signals, which took place during the first test last Sunday. “The truth is that, for the data entry, there were no problems, they were more technical and we hope that at this moment it has been solved, at least most of them,” Barahona said.
During a tour of El Diario de Hoy through some polling stations, it was evident in Inframen that a team of five people were participating in the simulation of the transmission of the results. There, the day began without complications, with the receipt of the technology that will be used in each JRV.
EST is conducting the second simulation of the transmission of election results in 1,591 polling stations in the country. Photo / Jorge Reyes
“We analyzed the equipment for transmitting the results, which consists of a laptop, printer, scanner, gun projector and power and data supply cables,” said Boris Espinosa, TSE facilitator. It is a technological team by JRV, ie 8,481 nationwide.
First the minutes of the Members of the Assembly, then of the Central American Parliament and finally of the mayors were forwarded. According to Espinosa, with the use of mass technology, data processing time is reduced by half.
“In previous trials he was made and was very subject to human error. With the system, brands are introduced and the system instantly places the percentage of value for each candidate, ”said Espinosa.
On the other hand, at the Albert Camus Institute in San Salvador, the technology package has not yet been opened in the morning, because the order was to start the exercise until 13:00 “At one in the afternoon the packages will be open for review and then at 16:00 you start the examination process and finish with the transmission “, said the technician Julio Pineda.
According to Pineda, the use of technology will make the minutes more readable, unlike when they were filled in manually and the last copies were no longer distinguished.
There are several defects that need to be corrected in Ahuachapán
Ahuachapán TSE logistics manager Jessenia Lemus said that at 9:45 a.m. they had already shipped all the routes carrying the equipment to be used in simulating the transmission. They started at 6:00 in the morning.
Failures to connect to the internet, lack of information and the absence of members who should be in the transmission of data, were some points of correction detected in the exercise that took place in the voting center located in the Isidro Menéndez School Center in Ahuachapán.
The transmission equipment was received at 10:00 in the morning and, although it was connected correctly, when it tried to enter the system, it gave the message of internet failure. After almost ten minutes of testing and a phone call, the broadcast assistant managed to enter the phase of “confiscation of the personal cars of JRV members”.
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The process was carried out by the technical assistance assistant, José García, because the person in charge did not reach the voting center. The exercise on the previous Sunday was not performed instead, as the person who was supposed to receive the equipment did not participate in it either.
Photo EDH / Cristian Díaz
The head of the polling station, Rosa Zepeda, indicated that he knew that the simulation of the data transmission would take place on Sunday morning; but that on arrival at school they informed him that it would be until the afternoon.
He added that a new data transmission simulation was scheduled for next Sunday; but with the presence of JRV members.
Internet failures on Conchagüita Island did not allow the transmission of minutes
The failure to connect to the internet system in the canton of Conchagüita, Meanguera del Golfo in La Unión, made it difficult to transmit data from the polling station in that city.
According to the technical assistance assistants, they detailed that, in the case of Conchagüita Island, the data will be transmitted from the Directorate of the Electoral Organization (DOE), the La Unión delegation.
In the polling station of the educational complex José Pantoja Jr., in the city of La Unión, the data were transmitted in 20 minutes, while in the polling station in the canton of Las Maderas, they were not transmitted due to the lack of a modem.
Guadalupe Marthel, a technical assistance assistant, said that in most La Unión polling stations the data had been transmitted. According to Marthel, in the case of Conchagüita Island, the transmitters reach the DOE reference point, they will transmit there.
Training day
This Sunday, the TSE also held training courses for people who will train JRVs.
Edwin Escobar took part in his first training session today, after realizing that he had been selected. “I didn’t know, my wife went to check and that’s how we realized. They say they notify in writing, but no one told me “, said the citizen.
He claims that he has never participated in a JRV, but this time he will have to take on the role. “It is assumed that if you do not participate, you will be fined and will have to pay and, under these economic conditions, how do you pay?”
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At the Isidro Menéndez School in Ahuachapán, the transmission equipment was received at 10:00 in the morning. Photo / Cristian Díaz
Helen Cornejo is also participating in a JRV election event for the first time and believes that the training is provided in a simple, fluid and concise manner.
“It has opened our eyes to technology, which will be used. They also send us to study the Code to defend our votes and we are trained to know what we will do on election day “, explained Cornejo.
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The equipment was distributed to the polling stations through twenty routes. Photo / Cristian Díaz
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On Sunday, February 7, the TSE tested the use of technology for the first time by transmitting data from polling stations, where some failures appeared that it considers passable.
Some EST magistrates defended the operation of the system against allegations by political parties such as GANA and New Ideas that called into question the team’s effectiveness. This position was also seen in the statements of the President of the EST, Dora Esmeralda Martínez, who said that she would propose to the electoral body to return to the manual form.
Contrary to questions, Judge Guillermo Wellman assured the Electoral Commission of the Legislative Assembly that the electoral process will be transparent and reliable.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal prepares the members of the commissions for receiving votes at the INFRAMEN facilities. Photo / Jorge Reyes