SOFOFA'S SECRETARY GENERAL DELIVERED A POSITIVE BALANCE OF THE ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS WITH THE EVOTING SYSTEM.
“The experience we had with electronic voting was very positive. So much so, that we are starting -but it will probably reach its destination- a modification of the bylaws that will allow voting to always be by this means, regardless of the context”. This is how Rafael Palacios, Secretary General of the Sociedad de Fomento Fabril, SOFOFA, sums up the first electronic voting experience of the Chilean institution, carried out on the occasion of the 2021-2025 Elective Board Members Election, in mid-April. “It was very clear that it is a much more effective system for the type of voting that we do, so it will probably be installed as a permanent tool in the next election processes,” he added. The process had a participation of 100 percent of the members who were allowed to vote, which was highlighted by Palacios: “we had always had high percentages of participation, 90, 92. I think it once reached 93, but we had never had 100 percent”, he pointed out. He added that the system allowed representatives who were abroad to vote. He specially highlighted the work of the Help Desk, which had a timely response to queries, regardless of the time they were made: “we had some voting schedules that were well off with office hours. In the background, we realized that most of the queries were at 8 p.m., 9 p.m., 10 p.m., which was when the executives voted, probably from their phones,” he explained. Palacios also highlighted the adaptability of the EVoting platform to the needs of his process, which included 52 candidates and the possibility of voting for up to 30 priorities.
Sofofa
The Sociedad de Fomento Fabril was created in 1983, and is today the most important business institution in Chile. It groups 22 business associations throughout the country and among its more than 160 member companies are more than half of those that make up the most important stock market index in Chile. It brings together 47 sectoral associations representing the main sectors of the Chilean economy, such as mining suppliers, forestry, pulp and paper, agribusiness, salmon farming, fishing, infrastructure and logistics, energy, wine, retail, information technology, telephony, food and beverages, bread, and the venture capital industry, among many others.