Comelec to reuse PCOS, new voting system for 2016

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has decided to adopt the recommendation of the multi-sector Comelec Advisory Council (CAC) to use mixed technology in the 2016 presidential polls.

A Comelec source said for one, the poll body will re-use the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines as the primary voting system in 2016.

And as recommended by the CAC, the Comelec will look for another voting technology and this will have to be compatible with the canvassing system of the poll body.

“It has been decided to use mixed technology, in principle. But we are not adopting all the CAC recommendations. There will be some modifications,” the source said.

The Comelec intends to hold a public bidding to acquire the secondary technology.

According to Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. they have come up with a consensus on the voting technology that they will use in 2016 but he refused to give details.

Brillantes maintained the Comelec would still have to formalize their decision in a meeting today.

The CAC urged the Comelec “to seriously consider the use of multiple or mixed technologies to promote interoperability and encourage innovative solutions.”

Among the voting systems that the CAC has recommended are other optical mark reader (OMR) system, which is the technology of PCOS machines; the direct recording electronic (DRE) as secondary technology; and Internet voting for overseas absentee voters.