AUTOMATED ELECTIONS 101
The Philippine Star
05/10/10

 

The die has been cast. During the last few months, the road to an automated election had been, to say the least, paved with controversies. Today, 50 million Filipinos will have the opportunity to choose the choice of leaders who will bring them to 2016.

As a freedom-loving nation, we Filipinos place great value on our votes. Being the first time that ballots will be counted by a machine, there is plenty of anxiety going around. There is, however, also an avalanche of prayers for things to go well.

In several past columns, we had aired our concern over the possibility of widespread invalidation of votes, not only because many Filipinos would feel alienated by the new system, but also of the sensitivity of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines to smudges, creases, erasures and other markings on ballots.

So even if much has already been said by various media organizations and through different information channels, I would like to put in a few other reminders to our voters so that they may avoid having their ballots invalidated.

Twelve easy steps

I have tried to make the list below as user-friendly as can be. Feel free to cut it out and bring it to the polls. Here are a few tips I have lined up:

  1. Know where you will vote. If you have online access, go to the official Commission of Elections site. Otherwise, check with your barangay.
  2. Vote early. The polls open at 7 am and close at 6 pm. But Comelec says it is prepared to keep some precincts open even until midnight. Still, it is best to come early.
  3. Check for your name at the Posted Computerized Voters List (PCVL) located near the door of the voting center. If you have problems, check out with the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI). Or go to your barangay.
  4. From the official voters’ list, get your precinct number and sequence number. You need this information together with your voter’s ID when getting your ballot from the BEI. If you do not have a voter’s ID, any valid ID and your registration stub will do.
  5. Your name will be called by the BEI before your ballot is handed to you. Check the ballot for smudges or markings that may cause your vote to be invalidated. Check the marker also so that it does not stain or smear. The BEI should be able to give any replacement if so.
  6. Listen carefully to the BEI’s instructions. Ask questions if you’re not clear about the instructions.
  7. Take the ballot in its secrecy folder to a designated voting desk or area. Be sure your hands are dry and clean before you start shading the ovals that correspond to your choices. Use your prepared list of candidates if you have one. Again, do not choose more than the prescribed number for each election position.
  8. Don’t rush. There is no penalty for taking good time. Carefully check your choices. If you have voted for more than the specified number of candidates, return your ballot to the BEI. At this point, there is almost nothing that will assure that your vote will be cast. Remember, you only get one ballot.
  9. If you correctly filled in your ballot, go to the PCOS machine and insert your ballot. Keep your hands clean. You will be given four chances to insert your ballot. First try front side top edge, then front side bottom edge, then back side top edge, and back side bottom edge. If all fails, go the BEI. If successful, the PCOS machine will register a message of congratulations. Your ballot will automatically join others in a ballot box.
  10.  Return the secrecy folder and marking pen to the BEI. Indelible ink shall then be applied to the base of the nail extending to the right cuticle of your forefinger. If you don’t have a forefinger, any finger will do.
  11.  You will then be asked to affix your thumb mark on the corresponding space in the election day computerized voters list or EDCVL.
  12.  Leave the polling place.

Guarding the ballot

An automated election does not necessarily mean that there will be no cheating or fraud. There are still chances and opportunities that an unscrupulous politician will grab just to gain a few hundred votes in his favor.

This is why the duty of a voter goes beyond casting his ballot. You don’t have to do a watch from sunrise to sunset. A fun way is to organize round the clock watches of groups. The best way is to coordinate with the designated and accredited poll watchers.

With automated counting, there will be no long hours of watching teachers opening ballot boxes and reading each and every vote cast by a single voter. In fact, with the PCOS machine, the election results of a precinct will be read almost right after the last voter casts his vote.

Be sharp to spot irregularities or questionable moves. Invite people who are literate in information technology to the watch and to give their views. This is a new experience for all of us, and quickly learning how automation works is as good as guarding your vote.

Making it work

There is no going back to the old way of voting. We might as well make the computerized voting system work for all of us who are concerned that elections will accurately and efficiently express our collective will as we choose our political leaders. May God help us if this fails.

Should you wish to share any insights, write me at Link Edge, 25th Floor, 139 Corporate Center, Valero Street, SalcedoVillage, 1227 MakatiCity. Or e-mail me at reydgamboa@yahoo.com. For a compilation of previous articles, visit www.BizlinksPhilippines.net

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