If citizens could capture and verify those records independently, they could create an alternative source of truth beyond the control of the electoral authority.
Ahead of Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election, the democratic process was heavily restricted. Opposition candidates were barred, international observers were excluded, and citizens were denied access to transparent verification mechanisms. Yet hidden within the official voting process was an overlooked vulnerability: a QR code printed on every ballot tally sheet.
Comando Con Venezuela transformed that vulnerability into a nationwide citizen-powered verification system. By mobilizing and training more than 600,000 volunteers to scan and transmit official QR-coded vote records from polling stations across the country, the opposition created a parallel infrastructure capable of independently documenting election results in real time. The initiative turned ordinary smartphones into tools for democratic accountability.
Operating with no institutional support and under significant political risk, volunteers were deployed across more than 15,000 voting centers and 30,000 voting tables throughout Venezuela. Using mobile devices, QR codes from official tally sheets were captured, verified, and transmitted to a centralized database, creating a transparent and independently auditable record of the election. When official authorities declared a result without publishing supporting ballots, the opposition coalition was able to present extensive evidence collected directly from polling stations. Independent analyses by international organizations and media outlets subsequently reviewed and validated large portions of the collected data.
The initiative demonstrated how technology, organization, and citizen participation can safeguard electoral transparency under extraordinary circumstances. The independently collected records became a central source of evidence in international discussions surrounding the election and contributed to global calls for greater transparency. The effort also highlighted the courage of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who participated despite the risk of intimidation, arrest, and persecution. In 2025, opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, with the Norwegian Nobel Committee specifically recognizing the democratic movement that mobilized citizens to document and defend the electoral process.
AWARDS
Cannes Lions 2026
– Shortlisted in the Dan Wieden Titanium category
CREDITS
Brand: Comando Con Venezuela.
President-Elect of Venezuela: Edmundo González Urrutia.
Opposition Leader & Architect of the 600K Network Strategy: María Corina Machado.
Campaign Chief Officer: Magallí Meda.
Creative Agency: Rainbow Lobster, Mexico City.
Founder & Chief Creative Officer: Sebastián Arrechedera.
Creative Director: Anonymous for safety reasons.
Account Director: Anonymous for safety reasons.
Case Study Production
Script & Project Manager: Matilde Neuman.
Voiceover: Valentina Olarte.
