Ana Vanessa Herrero

Maria said she couldn't get her copy of the ACTA until the machine transmitted the results. So this problem with the machine, this breakdown in transmission, led to a sort of slapstick routine inside her voting center.

Oh my God.

Oh my God.

Versions of this happened at other voting centers, including people moving the machines outside to see if they could get a signal there. Maria could only spend so much time on this table-moving craziness, though.

Versions of this happened at other voting centers, including people moving the machines outside to see if they could get a signal there. Maria could only spend so much time on this table-moving craziness, though.

Finally, the data were transmitted and the results at Maria's voting center were official. It was a blowout.

Finally, the data were transmitted and the results at Maria's voting center were official. It was a blowout.

Maria's euphoria was short-lived. The electoral council, known as the CNAA, made their announcement just after midnight, saying Maduro had won.

Maria's euphoria was short-lived. The electoral council, known as the CNAA, made their announcement just after midnight, saying Maduro had won.

On election night, Venezuelans uploaded videos recorded outside different voting centers all around the country. A similar scene repeated over and over.

On election night, Venezuelans uploaded videos recorded outside different voting centers all around the country. A similar scene repeated over and over.

One person in front of a crowd at night, reading the voting center's results out loud, sometimes holding the acta and using a cell phone light to read the tiny print straight from that, announcing totals for President Maduro and for the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. This is a video from La Huayra. There's a woman reading results from a piece of paper, shouting to the crowd.

One person in front of a crowd at night, reading the voting center's results out loud, sometimes holding the acta and using a cell phone light to read the tiny print straight from that, announcing totals for President Maduro and for the opposition candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia. This is a video from La Huayra. There's a woman reading results from a piece of paper, shouting to the crowd.

Table 2. Edmundo, 303. Maduro, 194. Table 4. Edmundo, 342. Maduro, 162. Table 4.

Table 2. Edmundo, 303. Maduro, 194. Table 4. Edmundo, 342. Maduro, 162. Table 4.

The numbers showed the opposition had won 7.3 million votes. Maduro got 3.3 million. According to these numbers, it was 2-1 in favor of the opposition. Even if Maduro got every vote in the remaining 17% of the actas, he still couldn't win. And since the actas showed data down to the voting machine, they also showed that Maduro lost in lots of places he had won in the past.

The numbers showed the opposition had won 7.3 million votes. Maduro got 3.3 million. According to these numbers, it was 2-1 in favor of the opposition. Even if Maduro got every vote in the remaining 17% of the actas, he still couldn't win. And since the actas showed data down to the voting machine, they also showed that Maduro lost in lots of places he had won in the past.

There was a frenzy of people after the election combing through the website with the actas and the vote totals. Were the numbers real? Were the actas real? The Washington Post looked into the website's data and concluded, yes, the actas were genuine and accurate. The Associated Press also concluded the actas' information was accurate.

There was a frenzy of people after the election combing through the website with the actas and the vote totals. Were the numbers real? Were the actas real? The Washington Post looked into the website's data and concluded, yes, the actas were genuine and accurate. The Associated Press also concluded the actas' information was accurate.

Another website collected the videos people had uploaded reading the results on election night, geolocated them, and matched them to the actas from the voting center where they were from. Academics in Venezuela, Brazil, and the United States analyzed the website's actas and totals and concluded, yes, they're real.