To accomplish this remarkable feat, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Kenya relied on a robust, election-specific technology solution.

The use of technology was lauded by international observers. The head of the East Africa Community Observer Mission in Kenya, Jakaya Kikwete, said, “The mission commends IEBC for the successful use of the technology in voter registration, voter identification, and the transmission of results.”

Technology

The IEBC relied on 46,229 technology kits to conduct key election processes. Smartmatic provided 14,110 new units to complement the commission’s existing inventory of 32,119 kits.

On Election Day, the technology enabled poll workers to authenticate voters via biometrics. The biometric authentication lasted 9 seconds in average. Poll workers were also able to scan and transmit tally reports to the National Tally Center. More than 99% of tally reports were transmitted on election day.

Smartmatic’s user-friendly software helped workers make informed decisions with operational intelligence and functional protocols. Performance data showed a remarkable improvement compared to prior elections, with 94% of polling stations opening by 7 am on election day. Smartmatic’s solution included a biometric voter central system to manage the voter database and ABIS to deduplicate data. Authorities monitored election progress and managed logistics using the system’s monitoring tools.

Services

Smartmatic also helped facilitate the smooth technology deployment providing a host of election services.

• Deduplication of the voter database
• Biometric voter registration data migration
• Biometric device programming & configuration
• Main and backup data center setup
• Training of IEBC trainers
• Set up and operation of a National Support Center

Benefits

Fast

In today’s interconnected world, making tally reports publicly available can go a long way to fighting disinformation. More than 99% of all tally reports were published within a few hours of polls closing.

Auditable

The robust audit trail produced by Smartmatic’s technology provided stakeholders with the evidence to corroborate the accuracy and legitimacy of results.

Secure

The system is designed to protect the information and the data in use, in transit and at rest. Smartmatic’s security model guarantees the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information at every stage. Additionally, the solution is equipped with a robust encryption structure.

Efficient

The wealth of data technology kits contained enabled poll workers to efficiently manage polling stations. Voters who did not know where to vote, were guided by empowered poll workers who had the correct information at their disposal.