Based on data from the National Electoral Council (CNE), it was confirmed that 409,250 Ecuadorians residing abroad were registered and had the option of registering to use telematic voting until election day, August 20. The governing body of the democracy expected an increase in the participation of migrants, which in previous processes did not exceed 30% of those who have the right to vote.

Read the latest news about the elections in Ecuador

Social networks were the channel where complaints were pouring in since the early hours of the morning yesterday. CNE first denied the technological disadvantage that had been condemned in the same way, then recognized it and announced exactly at noon at the press conference that it had been overcome.

For citizens who have left the country to work or study, it is important to maintain a civic connection with Ecuador through voting, which is why corrective measures are being sought to avoid future omissions and to clarify concerns about the current process.

Telematic voting didn’t work for everyone: Ecuadorians abroad spent the day trying to vote

The State Electoral Council is obliged to investigate what caused problems with telematic voting and to determine responsibilities and sanctions. Just as electoral offenses are punished, the impact on a section of the electorate cannot be ignored.

The investigation into the hacking allegations is an unresolved issue. It is unacceptable that accusations are irresponsibly placed in the middle of the political process, but doubts should not hang in the air either. At the end of the day, CNE admitted that there had been attacks from several countries (India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, Ukraine, Indonesia and China) on its software, although it had previously denied this. Contradictions do not favor their credibility.

The CNE acknowledges that Ecuadorians abroad have had problems with electronic voting

By 3:45 p.m. yesterday, the CNE reported that 44,941 Ecuadorians had voted abroad, 30 percent of those registered to vote in Europe, Oceania, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Canada and the United States.

The experiences of telematic voting were different. The interviewee for this newspaper, from Mexico, said that she was not sure that she had voted because she received an error message at the end of the process, but after a few minutes she received a confirmation of her vote. Another Ecuadorian, in Argentina, admitted that he managed to vote after ten attempts.

How to vote if I am abroad in the elections in Ecuador

It is true that for Ecuadorians far away the right to vote is valued and, like any other citizen, they must receive guarantees that they will access it legitimately and transparently.

After denying the facts and then withdrawing the migrant vote, more claims will come, including from political actors. The electoral body, which had guaranteed security in the system, must respond today, not because of the attacks it received, but because its software did not contain them and because of that there were Ecuadorians who remained with the desire to vote. (OR)