Groups ask Supreme Court to blacklist election tech provider Smartmatic

Several cause-oriented groups have asked the Philippine Supreme Court to order the blacklisting of election technology provider Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corporation from taking part in any contracts for the country’s 2016 presidential elections. They said Smartmatic made several “misrepresentations” in qualification statements submitted to the poll body, and breached its obligations under the 2010 automated election system project contract. The Argentine firm has failed to answer allegations of security breach and systematic poll fraud in the past two elections, but the Philippines’ poll commission have stuck it out with the firm, awarding it contracts that watchdogs say are disadvantageous to government. Bishops, weary of the “bias” that the poll body has shown toward particular firms, called on Catholic schools to get involved in watching the election process and lend their IT expertise to government.

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