![[The Guardian] Our technology can clean up air pollution hotspots](https://w4ce34.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/pollution-sgo.jpg?time=1714741905)
Professor Lewis’s analysis of ways to tackle air pollution (10 ways to beat air pollution: how effective are they?, theguardian.com, 15 February) is disappointingly dismissive of technology that can work in bus shelters or other pollution hotspots. While these solutions can’t clean an entire atmosphere, there are places where they can make a huge difference and it would be shortsighted to sweep them aside.
Tests at King’s College London have independently verified that our technology can clean the air of dangerous and pervasive nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in pollution hotspots. It can reduce exposure to pollution in bus shelters, tube stations, and potentially hospitals or schools, by up to 80%. The mixing of the atmosphere does not therefore “completely outweigh the benefits” as Professor Lewis claims.}
Click here to read the full article
London, United Kingdom – July 1, 2016 – New research by election technology firm Smartmatic and WebRoots Democracy illustrates the link between low youth turnout in elections and the UK’s outdated voting system. A survey found 45% of 18-24 year olds and 28% of 25-34 year olds who did not vote in the referendum said they would have been more likely to do so if they had been able to vote online, prompting calls from youth groups for immediate reforms to the UK voting system.
Based on population and turnout, the Smartmatic and WebRoots’ results revealed an estimated 502,000 18-24 year olds and 666,000 of 25-24 year olds would have voted if they could have voted online.
- Nearly three quarters of 18-24 year olds and two thirds of 25-34 year olds voted to Remain
- Polls have suggested that just over a third of 18-24 year olds and just over half 25-34 year olds actually cast their vote
- Across the country, areas with a lower median age saw a much lower turnout
- By contrast, 57% of 55-64 year olds and 60% of 65+ voted to Leave
- In 2015, a ComRes survey found that 57% of disenfranchised 18-24 year olds would be more likely to vote if they could do so online
Read more here
United Kingdom, London – November 21, 2016- “All over the world, there is frustration and anger. A lot of people feel that democracy doesn’t represent them. All of us who care deeply about this need to take the time this week to learn from each other and see how we can restore the faith in democracy. We must argue forcefully for the kind of elections which leave people confident that their vote was accurately and fairly counted and that it will be reflected in the outcome.”
With these remarks, Smartmatic’s Chairman, Lord Malloch-Brown introduced the 2016 U.S. Election Program and Seventh Global Elections Organization (GEO-7) Conference organized by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES).
The event, held from November 6-10, 2016, was the largest international gathering of election professionals of the year, with representatives from Albania to Zimbabwe in attendance. More than 500 guests attended the conference; among them 250 election management bodies from around the world.
Read more here
United States, Washington, D.C. – December 6, 2016 – The world’s leading voting technology company, Smartmatic, released research today, highlighting voters’ concerns over the current state of America’s voting machines and underlining the connection between outdated technology and a lack of trust in U.S. voting systems. Conducted by the global insight and analytics consultancy Edelman Intelligence, the findings show that following a contentious presidential election, the majority of 2016 U.S. voters want to see investment in new voting systems and technology, and believe that updated technology will increase trust in elections.
Key Research Findings
- Eight in 10 voters and nearly 90 percent of poll workers believe upgrades to the nation’s voting technology will strengthen and build trust in elections.
- One in five Americans who voted in the presidential contest do not fully trust that the national election results were accurately tabulated; and one in three have concerns about the accuracy of the voting technology used at their polling place.
- 69 percent of polled voters – and nearly 80 percent of African-Americans, Hispanics and voters with a disability – said they would support an initiative or legislation that would advocate for or fund improvements to U.S. voting technology.
- 35 percent of African-American and Hispanic voters stated that the voting process at their local polling place was time-consuming and inefficient, versus 25 percent of voters overall.
- 86 percent of voters who used electronic voting machines believed them to be the most secure voting system.
Read more on Smartmatic website
![[FindBiometrics] Interview: Smartmatic’s Robert Cook](https://w4ce34.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/FindBiometrics-Smartmatic_01.jpg?time=1714741905)
Although electronic voting is still seen by some as a thing of the future, there are experts in the field with decade’s worth of experience under their belt. This is the case of Robert Cook, Global Administration Sales Operations VP for Smartmatic.
For the last 38 years, Mr. Cook has been involved in the adoption of technology in the US, Mexico, Brazil, Venezuela, the Philippines and many other countries that today lead the trend towards election automation.
Few other people have a similar understanding of what it takes to automate an election, where we stand today in terms of technology adoption and where we are heading to. “During my career I’ve seen a growing interest in automation,” says Cook. ‘Our industry is in a very special situation as governments and citizens are avidly looking for better ways to channel their dialogue.”
Click here to read the full article
![[The Huffington Post UK] Britain’s Outdated Voting System Risks Leaving Millions Voiceless in the EU Referendum](https://w4ce34.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/poll-station.jpg?time=1714741905)
The EU referendum is arguably the most important British vote in a generation. The outcome, which will have far reaching consequences for the country, is on a knife-edge. Yet our old-fashioned voting system risks silencing whole groups of voters who deserve to have their say.
Participation in UK elections has been on a downward trend for decades. In this year’s London Mayoral election turnout didn’t even reach 50%. For many people from all walks of life the voting system is outdated, hard to navigate and even alienating. Having to register weeks in advance for a postal vote or being obliged to find and visit a polling station at set times is off-putting and time consuming. The reality is that too often our antiquated electoral system prevents people exercising their democratic right.
When it comes to the referendum, this could have some particularly worrisome implications.
Click here to read the complete article
Washington D.C., United States – 31 March, 2016 – The Atlantic Council, a Washington DC based think tank, gathered reknown experts from the US and abroad to discuss election technology and the future of democracy.
The discussion was centered around the report
![[FindBiometrics] Smartmatic Backs Obama’s Call for e-Voting](https://w4ce34.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Vote-Sgo.png?time=1714741905)
Last week, US President Barack Obama called leaders of the tech industry to develop Internet voting technology to foster participation.
Speaking at the Cultural SXSW event in Austin, Texas, he stated: "I think it’s important for a group like this [technology experts], as we come up to an election, regardless of your party affiliation, to think about how do we redesign our systems so that we don’t have 50% or 55% voter participation on presidential elections. And during off-year congressional elections, you’ve got 39% or 40% voting,"
As CEO for the world’s leading elections company, Mugica responded quickly to this statement in a press release distributed to US media outlets. Commenting on the President’s remarks, he said: “President Obama’s call was surprising in only one respect—that it caused a stir. In a world where we can buy a house, take a degree course and access government services online, it does not make sense that elections don’t use tried and tested technology. I agree with the President. The future of democracy is digital.”
Click here to read his complete response.
![[The Huffington Post UK] “Answering the Call to Improve America’s Voting Experience”](https://w4ce34.a2cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/UnitedStates-CityLab-Smartm.png?time=1714741905)
As the US prepares to elect its 45th president, prominent voices from the all sides of the political spectrum have raised concerns regarding the current state of America’s voting machines.
During his final State of the Union address on January 12, and speaking before Congress, guests and the American people, President Barack Obama called for making voting easier for all Americans.
Smartmatic’s Chairman, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, responded to President Obama’s call last week in an article entitled “Answering the Call to Improve America’s Voting Experience”, and published by the Huffington Post.
Click here to read this interesting piece in which Mark Malloch-Brown celebrates this debate and gives his valuable opinion.
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, Chairman of SGO, will join Christine Lagarde, managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Sri Mulyani Indrawati, managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank; and Madeleine Albright, former U.S. Secretary of State to discuss global inequality.
As Chairman of SGO, and having worked as former deputy secretary general and chief of staff for the United Nation, Malloch-Brown has a very clear idea of both the challenges and opportunities that technology brings to this all-important topic. “When changes in technology and the impact of global markets risk skewing inequality even further, the challenge to policy makers is to contain this trend which so directly feeds poverty, forced migration, insecurity and conflict.”
Malloch-Brown’s participation will take place on January 31 at Wellesley College’s Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs. This event will serve as preamble for a weekend-long symposium that will gather other scholars, policy makers and government officials to discuss global inequality in areas such as public health and hunger.
Read more about the event by clicking here.
