PREP system is allegedly unbreakable

Lorenzo Córdova

, director chairman of the National Electoral Institute of Mexico (INE) along with Enrique Graue, the rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , have assured that the Preliminary Elections Results Program (PREP) that will be used for the election tomorrow is perfectly shielded against any sort of hacking and cyber-attacks since its operation is conducted through an internal and private network created specifically for that purpose. "Moreover, we don’t even use INE servers to publish any kind of information on the internet,” said Lorenzo Córdova at a press conference.

“The Preliminary Elections Results Program (PREP) is completely shielded against cyber-attacks, because the system doesn’t operate using a public network. The network used is internal and private, created with the sole purpose of serving as a platform for the electoral program.

When delivering the audit report conducted by UNAM , Graue agreed with Cordova and stated that “The PREP is extremely secured, and we can attest to that.”

“We have verified the excellent strength of the system and will continue auditing in case of a cyber-attack or hacking attempt of any kind. If there is an irregularity of any kind in the system, you will hear it from us,” said Graue when asked about the reliability of the system that is to be used for the largest election in the history of Mexican democracy on June 1 .

In this context, Córdova Vianello stated that, although the development of the PREP is an extremely technical matter, its functioning will have a great impact on political stability, post-electoral tranquility, and democratic governance.

“With the innovations we have applied, we can assure that this, the greatest electoral process in our history, will also be the safest, most transparent and trustworthy in regard to preliminary electoral results. Conditions are ripe so that tomorrow, millions of Mexicans may exercise their democratic right to vote,” added the director chairman.

Furthermore, results from the PREP will take longer than before because, in Mexico, votes are counted by hand , and there is no technological innovation able to speed up said process. Citizens are randomly chosen to count the votes at their appointed polling places, which injects trust to the electoral processes in the country.

“This is why the PREP results will take a little longer, as the executive secretary explained. But rest assured that this year’s PREP has represented our greatest investment in terms of technology and simplicity,” stated Córdova.

In this sense, Edmundo Jacobo, executive secretary of the INE, explained that vote tabulations will take longer because there will actually be six elections conducted simultaneously .

“According to our calculations, by midnight of July 1, we will have a 12% progress in vote tabulations for the presidential election. By 3 am on Monday, we will have a 55% progress, and by 6 am, we will have around 67%. At 8:00 am of July 2, we will have preliminary results with tabulations of 82% ”, Edmundo concluded.

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