I am getting careless. The initial player was Smartmatic, founded in 2000 and emerged significantly in Hugo Chávez's 2004 reelection...
There it is, 2004 ... 2004 - as you pointed out! This must be when the cabal realized that they could establish global control through rigged elections.
They certainly played a significant role in Obama's initial rise from total obscurity all the way to the WH! He was groomed to play a powerful role in the plan.