How to produce a counterfeit-proof voting ID card for Mexicans?
How to produce a counterfeit-proof voting ID card for Mexicans? Sophisticated security features make ID voting card one of the most secure ID documents in Latin America
A new voting ID card in Mexico is proving to be one of the most secure ID documents in Latin America and the ID document of choice for many Mexicans. The card’s numerous security features and state-of-the-art verification methods have effectively foiled any counterfeiting attempt to date and are helping to combat electoral fraud, and fraud in other types of transactions as the document is used as main identification.
The technologically innovative voting ID card, produced by Veridos, was introduced in 2013 to be used by Mexico’s 93.6 million registered voters [1]. Since then, Veridos has consistently updated the card with cutting-edge technology to ensure its utmost security and reliability. This has encouraged Mexican citizens to vote, including the 12 million Mexicans living abroad, who were sent the cards in a security envelope, developed by Veridos. The cost involved in making the trip home previously deterred them from getting the document, according to the National Electoral Institute (INE), an autonomous, public organization responsible for organizing federal elections in Mexico.
“Thanks to multiple security features and state-of-the-art verification methods, our identity solution is highly reliable and trustworthy,” says Rolando Colchado, Managing Director of Veridos Mexico. Since we started with voter ID production in 2013, we’ve managed to improve and enhance the product to become one of the most secure documents in Latin America.”
In August 2021, so far, Veridos has produced more than 107 million ID voting cards. And it’s set to securely produce, personalize and verify millions more at a production rate of 90,000 ID cards per day, after renewing its contract with INE in 2019. The issuance of the document takes less than 24 hours and the complete service is available to Mexico’s voters a mere three to five days after application.
Empowering Mexican citizens to vote
How exactly does the card’s security design deter counterfeiters? By including diverse details, such as deliberate mistakes, guilloche patterns, and various microtexts, Veridos has succeeded in providing exceptional protection of voters’ private information, whether embedded in text, bar codes, images, or the background of the card. In fact, the card boasts a unique design encompassing 14 preprinted security features, invisible to the human eye. Multiple layers of embedded encoded information and high-resolution printing at 12,800 DPI make the ID card very difficult to forge.
Unique new security measures, introduced as of 2019, include three QR codes. Two of these contain biographical and biometric information about the card carrier, such as facial data . The color photo, meanwhile, is embedded with information invisible to the human eye.
The material used is Teslin substrate, a type of synthetic paper able to capture ink, toner, coatings, and films in its structure, making it impossible to change or remove critical information and ensures the lifetime of 10 years of the voting credential.
An added benefit is the cost: the card is cheaper to produce than a chip or polycarbonate card.
Card enhances national security
The card’s outstanding security has made it Mexicans’ preferred ID document and the primary national ID document in Mexico. Its ease of use adds to its popularity: users can remotely verify the new version of the document scanning the QR codes on their smartphones. A specially developed smartphone-based application then ensures a smooth and easy verification process.
Veridos takes care of the entire production process, including recycling scrap material into concrete slabs, which are then used for local building projects. “We are creating added value for the environment and society in general through new and better production and verification technologies and taking care of the entire production process, assuring every step of the production, and considering recycling scrap material processes,” says Rene Miranda, Executive Director at the Federal Register of Voters in Mexico.
Voting is the language of democracy. It’s crucial for citizens to vote in order to have their say about the running of the country. And voters also have a fundamental right for their private information to be protected. This new voting ID card is the answer, presenting a unique, tamper-proof solution to secure voters’ identity and for Mexican citizens to authenticate who they are, wherever they are.
Questions? Get in touch with us to learn more.
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