For years, concerns about voter fraud have been bubbling under the surface. Whether it’s accusations of dead people voting or ballot stuffing, Americans have feared tampering with our elections. In some cases, people wondered about the potential corruption of the technology used to tabulate votes. The last presidential election did nothing to alleviate those fears.

Donald Trump has been a vocal advocate for election integrity. Republicans in red states have passed strict laws.

But new problems keep arising, forcing lawmakers to constantly make changes. Without strong enforcement, there is no telling how vulnerable our elections could become. The latest news from voting machine company Smartmatic only adds fuel to the fire: the company’s president has just been indicted over an international bribery scheme.

From Just the News:
A federal grand jury on Thursday indicted voting-machine company Smartmatic’s president and founder Roger Piñate on bribery and money-laundering charges in order to get election contracts in the Philippines…

Piñate, along with alleged co-conspirators Jorge Miguel Vasquez, and Elie Moreno, have been accused of giving former chairman of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections Juan Andres Donato Bautista $1 million in bribes to secure the contracts.

Roger Piñate, the president of Smartmatic, is facing serious legal trouble. According to reports, he’s been hit with charges related to bribery and money laundering. The accusations claim that Piñate paid out a bribe to Filipino election officials. Prosecutors are accusing him of paying $1 million to secure a contract for his company. This is the kind of scandal that can make even the most trusting voter start to feel a bit uneasy about the integrity of the very companies that count our votes.

Now, let’s be clear: Smartmatic is no small-time operation. They’ve been involved in election processes around the globe, including here in the United States. So, when the leader of such a company gets caught up in a corruption scandal, it’s no wonder Americans are starting to question just how secure and fair our elections really are.

An International Scandal

His co-conspirators include Jorge Miguel Vasquez and Elie Moreno. They have been accused of paying the chairman of the Philippines’ Commission on Elections, Juan Andres Donato Bautista, bribes to secure the contracts. According to reports, they laundered the money by hiding payments in invoices and using code words, as well as creating fraudulent contracts and fake loan agreements. Should these men be found guilty, they face up to twenty years in prison for each charge.

Election Fallout

Trust in the electoral process is the bedrock of any democracy. When that trust is shaken, the entire system starts to wobble. And right now, it feels like we’re walking a very fine line. With each new scandal, each new piece of evidence suggesting possible corruption or mismanagement, Americans’ confidence in our elections erodes just a little bit more.

Americans have been worried about the ballot-counting process since 2020. The mainstream media and the Democratic Party have all but censored people from talking about it. But at the time, there were worries that real ballots weren’t being counted, and fake ballots were being used—in some districts. News that a voting machine company was paying out bribes will not reassure Americans that the process is being remedied.

What will stop people from fearing their voters aren’t being counted? Or that other companies aren’t tampering with voting machines to benefit certain candidates? How this election shakes out could strengthen Americans’ faith in democracy or destroy it for good. This indictment could be prosecutors’ way of reassuring Americans that this kind of crime is taken seriously. We’ll just have to see what happens next.

Key Takeaways:

• Smartmatic President Roger Piñate has been indicted on bribery and money laundering charges.
• The company allegedly paid bribes to Filipino officials to secure contracts.
• This scandal intensifies fears about voter fraud and election security in the United States.

Source: Just the News