[VotoEletronico] WSJ.com -- From the Archives.htm

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Title: WSJ.com -- From the Archives

Desculpe gente mas não tenho tempo de traduzir.... saiu dia 13/11/00 no :    Article Search Search Options    Help  Quotes Search Symbol Name Exchange U.S.BrazilCanadaChileMexicoVenezuela---------AustraliaHong KongJapanKoreaSingaporeTaiwan---------BelgiumFinlandFranceGermanyXetraIrelandItalyNetherldsNorwayPortugalS. AfricaSpainSwedenSwitzerldU.K.   Search Options    Help Advertisements   WSJ.com Audio: Business Update Markets Recap WSJ on Audible Learn More   Journal Atlas: Table of Contents Headlines Business Index Search   News Search   Past Editions   Briefing Books   Quotes   Resources: Help New Features E-mail Center Your Account Contact Us WSJ.com Gifts Glossary Special Reports Weather    STOCK QUOTES  Select exchange:   USBrazilChileMexicoTorontoVenezuela--------Hong KongSydneyTokyo--------AmsterdamBrusselsFrankfurtXetraLondonMilanParisSpainStockholmZurich  Enter symbols:       Symbol lookup Free WSJ.com Sites: Careers College Homes Online Investing Opinion Personal Tech Starting a Business Travel Wealth of Choices Web Watch Wine   The Print Journal: Subscribe Customer Service   More Dow Jones Sites: Barron's Online DJ University Publications Library Reprints SmartMoney Work.com Dow Jones & Co.   Corrections   Privacy Policy November 13, 2000 A Brazilian Firm Sees Dollar Signs Amid America's Electoral Chaos By JONATHAN KARP Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SAO PAULO, Brazil -- The world may see farce in America's presidential impasse, but the company that brought computerized voting to the inner recesses of Brazil's Amazon sees historic opportunity. And it is rushing to cash in. When Joao Abud Jr. awoke Wednesday in Sao Paulo to news of political confusion in the U.S., dollar signs danced on his television screen. "We have the solution," says the marketing and sales director for Procomp Industria Eletronica, which developed cheap, simple and secure electronic voting machines used by about 100 million Brazilians in October local elections. "My thoughts were commercial: How can I sell this terminal to the U.S. authorities?" Two days later, Mr. Abud hurriedly was printing promotional material in English about his product, called the UE2000. Diebold Inc., which bought Procomp last year, had just called to say, "Take the first plane to Miami with the voting terminal in your hands!" Monday, Mr. Abud will show off the prized machine smack in the eye of America's political hurricane. For Diebold, based in North Canton, Ohio, the $225 million purchase of Procomp gave the U.S.'s biggest automated-teller-machine provider control of Brazil's ATM market leader. But elections soon offered a new strategic outlet: Procomp's $106 million contract to supply 186,000 voting machines in Brazil was the largest order in Diebold's history. Then came Florida. "There's been a tremendous increase in interest and contacts asking us to talk about this technology," says Michael Hillock, Diebold's senior vice president for international sales. "We're looking at where we think we could move this product." Perhaps more remarkable is how Brazil, which restored democracy in 1985 after two decades of military rule, quickly has become a model for electoral probity. President Fernando Henrique Cardoso took a dig at the U.S. on Saturday, saying that "the example of the most powerful neighbor shows that not even there were they able to count the votes as quickly as here." There have been bumps along the way. After Brazil's dictatorship ended, the first popularly elected president won through dirty tricks and resigned on the eve of impeachment for alleged corruption. Even in October's polls, many ballots hosted candidates with dubious pasts. The weekly magazine Veja reported that nearly 10% of those running for mayor and city councilor in the nine largest state capitals were under investigation for crimes ranging from tax evasion to murder. But thanks largely to Procomp's electronic voting machines, no one is questioning the integrity of the vote count. Brazil began introducing electronic voting in 1996, but this year was the first fully automated nationwide election. The dimensions are staggering: With an area bigger than the continental U.S., many of the 326,000 polling stations in regions lacking reliable electricity and one-fifth of the voters illiterate, Brazil poses the greatest challenge to a fair election of any country outside of India. Procomp used technology to simplify the process, just as it had adapted its traditional products to the needs of Brazil's banking market. Procomp's electronic ballot box, which is the size of a toaster-oven and weighs 17 pounds, has a numeric keypad and a small liquid-crystal display monitor. Voters tap in the designated number of their preferred candidate, producing the candidate's digitalized photograph on the screen. Then they press a green button to confirm the vote or an orange button to correct their vote. A white button lets them abstain. (Voting is required by Brazilian law.) People can't vote twice because their registration numbers are recorded electronically, just as an ATM might prevent a customer from withdrawing too much money in a single day. It is almost impossible to tamper with the results, which are stored on an encrypted floppy disk. Even Procomp doesn't have access to the encryption code. The terminal operates on a Pentium-equivalent microprocessor, but Procomp stripped down the peripherals to reduce cost and energy consumption. It can run for at least 12 hours on a rechargeable battery -- a crucial consideration for polling outposts in the Amazon. Procomp received a rousing reception on election night in Brasilia, where the U.S. Embassy borrowed four terminals for a simulated presidential election. Noting that foreign diplomats "had no difficulty using them," a local newspaper published a photograph of Ambassador Anthony Harrington in front of the voting machine, arms extended with two thumbs up. For the record, Gore won the instantly tabulated mock vote: 139-53. Write to Jonathan Karp at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Return to top of page | Format for printing Copyright © 2000 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Copyright and reprint information.

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