Only Two Companies Bid for Puerto Rico's New Vote-Counting Machines After a Year of Legal Battles and $38.2 Million at Stake

Puerto Rico's State Elections Commission (CEE) received just two proposals to replace the electronic scanning machines that will be used in the 2028 elections, following a bidding process marked by disqualifications, a court-ordered suspension, and an intervention by the Puerto Rico Supreme Court. The only bidders are Liberty Vote USA, the former Dominion Voting Systems operating under a new name, and Election Systems and Software (ES&S), confirmed CEE President Jorge Rivera Rueda ¹.

Background

Puerto Rico's current electronic scanning system comes from a lease-to-purchase agreement signed with Dominion Voting Systems in 2015, valued at $38.2 million, whose final payment of $3,889,124.66 was completed in July 2024 ³. That equipment has been at the center of controversy ever since: after the December 2024 elections, then-CEE President Jessika Padilla Rivera referred the company to the Department of Justice over what she called "serious irregularities" in the results of a plebiscite. In February 2026, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ONI) seized some of the machines used in Puerto Rico as part of an investigation into security failures ³. Those episodes led the CEE to formally launch, on April 1, 2026, the process to acquire an entirely new system ahead of 2028 ³.

The numbers and key dates

The first auction, opened on April 1, 2026, drew three proposals: Liberty Vote USA, ES&S, and Truenorth Corporation. The CEE rejected all three for failing to meet requirements ². Liberty Vote challenged its disqualification before the Court of Appeals, arguing that the flaw cited — an unsigned cover letter — was "correctable," which halted the process ². The New Progressive Party then petitioned the Supreme Court to unblock the procedure. On September 15, 2026, a panel led by Chief Justice Maite Oronoz Rodriguez, joined by Justices Luis Estrella Martinez and Erick Kolthoff Caraballo, ruled that "evaluating is not awarding" and authorized the CEE to reopen the opening and evaluation of proposals, while keeping the moratorium on the final award of the contract ². Under that order, the CEE set September 23, 2026, as the date to open new proposals, and October 7 and 9, 2026, for confirmation meetings with bidders ¹². Although up to four companies — including San Juan-based Raxten Group — had shown preliminary interest weeks earlier ², only two formalized a bid by the close of the process. Rivera Rueda called the low turnout "lamentable" and explained that the electronic scanning systems market is inherently limited. Asked whether upgrading the existing equipment was a viable alternative, he said no ¹. The Board of Auctions, together with the CEE's technical advisory committee, will now evaluate the two proposals submitted ¹.

What this means for you

If you vote in Puerto Rico, this process determines which machine will count your vote in 2028, how much it will cost the public treasury, and how exposed the system remains to the kind of failures seen in 2020 and 2024. With only two companies competing, the CEE's leverage to negotiate price and terms shrinks, and any further delay — from litigation or an extended technical review — shortens the time available to install, certify, and train staff before the next general election. Given the recent history — a Justice Department referral over irregularities and a federal seizure of equipment over security failures — this bidding process is not just administrative paperwork; it's a matter of trust in the electoral system.

How to do it / Checklist

1. Follow the public bidding record through the CEE's portal (ceepur.org) and request copies of the Board of Auctions' minutes once they become available.
2. Verify your voter registration and assigned voting unit through the CEE's system before any election cycle approaches, to avoid last-minute surprises.
3. If you live in a precinct or represent a community organization, request to attend or follow the confirmation meetings on October 7 and 9, 2026.
4. File a public records request with the CEE if you want to review the technical and pricing terms of Liberty Vote USA's and ES&S's proposals once the award is made or the bid documents become public.
5. Follow coverage from El Nuevo Dia and Primera Hora on the process, since prior litigation has already changed the timeline without warning.

What's next

The confirmation meetings on October 7 and 9, 2026, mark the next formal step, followed by the technical evaluation from the Board of Auctions and the advisory committee. The Supreme Court's moratorium on the final contract award remains in effect, so any decision to award the contract could face a new legal challenge, as happened with the first auction. With the 2028 general election on the horizon, the CEE has an increasingly narrow window to award, acquire, certify, and install the new system without repeating the operational stumbles of 2020 and 2024.

Sources

1. El Nuevo Dia — "Solo dos companias mostraron interes en proveer maquinas de escrutinio electronico a la CEE" — https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/notas/solo-dos-companias-mostraron-interes-en-proveer-maquinas-de-escrutinio-electronico-a-la-cee/
2. El Nuevo Dia — "Tribunal Supremo ordena a la CEE retomar proceso para adquisicion de maquinas de escrutinio electronico" — https://www.elnuevodia.com/noticias/politica/notas/tribunal-supremo-ordena-a-la-cee-retomar-proceso-para-adquisicion-de-maquinas-de-escrutinio-electronico/
3. Primera Hora — "CEE inicia proceso para adquirir nuevas maquinas de escrutinio electronico" — https://www.primerahora.com/noticias/gobierno-politica/notas/cee-inicia-proceso-para-adquirir-nuevas-maquinas-de-escrutinio-electronico/