Broadcasters briefed on poll automation

CEBU, Philippines - Election officials yesterday said the great advantage of the poll automation of the 2010 elections is that the results will be known immediately hours after the voting, but said voters should take care of the ballots entrusted to them otherwise their votes will become useless.

Cebu provincial election supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano and election officer Alex Villacrusis explained that the automated counting machines are very sensitive and it will not read conflicting data that are reflected in the official ballots equipped with bar codes.

Castillano and Villacrusis yesterday briefed the radio and TV broadcasters on the issues involving the poll automation of the next year’s elections so they could help the Commission on Elections educate the voters about the new voting procedures.

Villacrusis said the back-to-back ballot that will be used in the 2010 elections is similar to the long-sized bond paper with bar codes situated on the top and bottom of the paper.

Since the Comelec are expecting a lot of candidates in the 2010 elections, the back portion of the ballot could be also used for the names of the other candidates. During the elections, voters are no longer required to write the names of their favorite candidates but are required to mark the small circle located after the names of their favored candidates, like what is done in buying a lotto ticket.

But Castillano and Villacrusis warned that the voters should not mark more than the required number of candidates to be elected for the positions. Meaning, if there are only 12 slots for senators to be elected and the voter marks the circles of 13 candidates, the sensitive counting machine will not count any of them.

“Mao na nga magbantay g’yod ang mga botante nga dili masayod kay bisan ang pagbutang og cross, ma-invalido na ang mga botos sa maong positions. Ang ubang position iphon gihapon sa counting machine,” Villacrusis stressed.

The voters are also warned not to write anything in the bar codes portion of the ballot, otherwise the automated counting machine will not read the cast indicated in the ballot.

Four to five precincts will be clustered into one polling place and it will be equipped with a counting machine and ballots equivalent to the number of voters assigned in that polling place, plus the members of the Board of Elections Inspectors who are allowed to vote in their respective polling places.

To harmonize the voting procedure, only 15 to 20 voters are allowed get inside the polling place to vote at a time and once they are done voting, that’s the time other voters are allowed to come in.

The voter should be the one to mark the allotted portion after the names of the candidates and will also be the one to feed the ballot into the scanner.

The chairman or members of the BEIs are also asked to set aside their “utang na loob” to persons who installed them to the positions, and encouraged them to be sincere in doing their jobs.

Villacrusis asked the politicians to refrain from using their power to boost their candidacy, instead they should only discuss public-related issues in their campaign, rather than engage in mud slinging and character assassinations.

The voters were also asked to refrain from selling their votes to unscrupulous politicians who might engage in vote buying and are advised to report those candidates who will engage in coercion, intimidation and terrorism.

Election officers have been ordered to finalize the list of the BEIs in their respective areas because two for each team of BEI shall be required to undergo training about poll automation from January 20 to April 30, 2010. — Rene U. Borromeo/WAB (THE FREEMAN NEWS)