CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) has been awarded a new contract by the Greater London Authority to deliver end-to-end services, software and technical infrastructure for the electronic counting of votes in the 2020 London elections.
CGI and London-based elections technology company Smartmatic will provide an electronic solution for the accurate counting of voter marks on ballot papers and declaration of results for three elections taking place in May 2020: the Mayor of London, 14 Constituency Assembly Members, and 11 London-wide Assembly Members. Postal and in-person votes will be counted in three count venues across London (Alexandra Palace, Excel and Olympia).
CGI’s e-counting solution, developed in partnership with Smartmatic, will assist with ballot papers being scanned and processed quickly and accurately, with full auditability of results. In support of the project roll-out, CGI will also provide outreach and consultancy to key minority voting groups, offering full transparency around the vote counting process to help encourage voter participation.
Having previously delivered the highly successful electronic vote counting systems for the 2012 and 2017 Scottish Local Government elections, CGI’s proven approach will facilitate the delivery of an accurate and transparent vote count. They will again be working with Rathmhor, a coaching, training and consultancy business whose team of specialist facilitators designed and delivered the user training for the programme in Scotland in 2017. Leading provider Hamilton Rentals will be supplying hardware and AV rental and their engineers will build the count centres and deploy the solution at the count venues.
Mary Harpley, Greater London Returning Officer at the Greater London Authority commented: “I would like to congratulate CGI on their success in being selected to deliver electronic counting for the next Mayoral and Assembly elections in 2020. Having worked closely with Transport for London and representatives from the London Boroughs to ensure a robust and transparent selection process, the GLA team is looking forward to working with CGI, Smartmatic and partners to deliver an effective and accurate e-count.”
Donna Kelly, Vice President, South Business Unit at CGI in the UK said: “The next 12 months will be of vital importance as we engage in a rigorous testing regime of the e-counting system in advance of the elections in 2020. Building on our previous success delivering e-counting programmes in Scotland, we are focused on delivering a transparent, secure and accurate election for the GLA whilst enabling true innovation in line with legislation changes – delivering higher confidence in the voting process for citizens, parties, candidates and all those with an interest in the election.”
CGI has a longstanding pedigree in delivering cyber security and assured governance to the public sector. Drawing on its partners’ combined elections experience and expertise, the company will collaborate closely with the GLA and London Boroughs to undertake planning, testing and training ahead of the crunch election period.
“We are honoured to join efforts with CGI to help the GLA conduct their 2020 elections. It is truly rewarding to work with Electoral Administrators that share Smartmatic’s commitment to transparent and accessible elections. London elections will employ modern technology that is secure and reliable and will enhance citizens’ trust in the process and strengthen democracy,” explained Antonio Mugica, Chief Executive Officer of Smartmatic, elections technology company and CGI partner.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firm in the world. With 77,000 professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from IT and business consulting to systems integration, outsourcing services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. With annual revenue of C$11.5 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.
For more information:
Paul Butler
p.butler@cgi.com
07920 784199
