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Caught Our Eye

Venezuelan voting-systems company hires lobbying group

Posted by Keturah Hetrick on May 20, 2019

The U.S. subsidiary of Venezuelan-owned voting-systems company with ties to electoral controversies has hired a lobbying firm.

Jake Perry + Partners began its lobbying work for Smartmatic USA in March, according to a pair of recent filings. David Perry, firm founder and a former finance director to big-name Democratic campaigns, is lobbying on unspecified legislation regarding election-security on Smartmatic USA's behalf.

Electronic-voting systems of Smartmatic USA's parent company, Smartmatic Corp., are connected to several mishaps, including the 2016 Utah GOP presidential caucus, which was the first-ever online presidential primary and in which some experienced trouble with the voting process. Smartmatic further embroiled itself in electoral issues in the 2017 Venezuelan presidential election, when the company reported that the government had manipulated vote counts. Smartmatic pulled out of Venezuelan operations the next year.