September 3, 2004
Venezuela: computer study of recall vote
(The New York Times) - "Two leading American computer science researchers, after studying results of the Aug. 15 recall referendum that President Hugo Chávez won handily, did not detect any statistical irregularities that would indicate fraud, as antigovernment groups contend. The researchers, Edward Felten of Princeton University and Aviel D. Rubin of Johns Hopkins, using election results provided by Súmate, a group that helped lead the recall, did note that tampering with electronic machines would not create the statistical anomalies they were searching for.

But they said the fraud alleged was not the type they would expect a cheating government to employ. The Organization of American States and the Atlanta-based Carter Center, monitors of the election, have emphatically said that their audits showed no discrepancies or machine manipulation. "…