Smartmatic software was built to rig elections for Hugo Chávez
| Smartmatic software was built to rig elections for Hugo Chávez | |
|---|---|
| UNSUPPORTED | |
| "Smartmatic voting technology was designed to manipulate results and was used to rig the 2020 U.S. election." | |
| Domain | Politics & Elections |
| Tactic | Conspiracy Theory Fabrication |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2020 |
| Origin | Claims by Trump allies and cable and online outlets, November 2020 onward |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-03 |
| Further reading: books on Politics & Elections | |
The claim that Smartmatic software was built to rig elections for Hugo Chávez was broadcast widely in late 2020 and later became the subject of defamation litigation.
What the evidence shows
- No evidence of rigging in the U.S. count. Smartmatic equipment was used in only part of Los Angeles County in 2020, and no court or audit found it altered results.
- Legal consequences. Newsmax agreed to pay Smartmatic $40 million to settle a defamation suit over its coverage; the settlement was disclosed in 2025 after being reached in 2024.
- Related case. Fox News settled with Dominion, a different voting-technology company, for $787.5 million in April 2023.
- The Venezuela origin story is not substantiated here. Claims about the software's design purpose were not supported by evidence in the cases reviewed.
Why it persists
A foreign dictator and a voting vendor make a vivid, easily repeated storyline.
Lessons for readers
- Settlements and retractions are part of the record; check whether a claim was withdrawn.
See also
- Voting machines are connected to the internet and can be hacked remotely
- Italian satellites switched votes from Trump to Biden
Sources
- Reporting on the Newsmax settlement with Smartmatic.
- Reporting on the Dominion v. Fox News settlement, April 2023.