In an interview on the program En Detalles on ABC TV on Sunday (17), the president of the Superior Electoral Justice Tribunal (TSJE), Jorge Bogarín, classified criticism of the electronic voting system as part of a campaign attacking not only the machines but the institution itself. Bogarín stated that the system was successfully used in the 2021 municipal elections and the 2023 general elections, and that the Electoral Justice is prepared to organize “clean, clear, and transparent” rallies for the party primaries on June 7.
The minister acknowledged the right to question the system but warned that “defaming or insulting” the institution is not acceptable. According to him, behind the criticism there is an attempt to attack the model established by Law No. 6,318/2019, which instituted open lists, preferential voting, and the use of electronic voting machines. Bogarín emphasized that any change to the electoral model must be discussed in the National Congress, not in the TSJE, which only applies current legislation. “We are not fanatics of this system,” he declared, although he warned that returning to the previous scheme would represent “a setback.”
The TSJE president also admitted deficiencies in institutional communication, stating that “what is not informed is as if it were not done.” He announced a restructuring of the Electoral Justice's communication strategy to clarify the technical and security procedures of the machines.
Fausto Von Streber, director of Information and Communication Technologies at the TSJE, detailed the security mechanisms implemented in the electronic ballots and the RFID chip incorporated into each ballot. According to him, the chip functions as a data storage device and can only generate a valid vote when it passes through the enabled voting machine at the corresponding table. The system verifies the chip's authenticity before allowing voting. Von Streber stated that the data stored on the chip is encrypted and that the encryption key varies according to the machine, credential, and other identification elements of the electoral process.
The director recalled that similar technology was previously used in Argentina, where questions arose due to the possibility of remote reading of the information. Given these precedents, Von Streber indicated that Paraguay required the incorporation of encryption mechanisms to prevent external access to the data contained in the chip.
Despite the explanations, doubts persist in political and technical sectors about the auditability and full transparency of the system, especially with the primaries approaching, which will once again test public confidence in electronic voting.