BY MARY JOY CAVAÑAS, JEN BAYLON
ILOILO City – Following the conclusion of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on Oct. 30, Panay News checked polling stations in Iloilo City’s schools to gather voter feedback.
Since 2010, the BSKE has been conducted manually. However, with advancing technology, there’s a debate over whether future elections should transition to automated systems.
Marilou Prudente, a voter from Barangay Sto. Rosario, City Proper, expressed satisfaction with the recent electoral process.
“For me, it was satisfactory. New candidates represent new opportunities for improvement, especially if there have been issues in our barangay,” she said in Hiligaynon, noting that an automated process could expedite proceedings.
In the recent BSKE, which was conducted manually, voters wrote on the ballots the names of their favored candidates from the certified list of candidates. Voters then folded the ballots to conceal their votes and dropped them into the designated ballot boxes.
At the close of the polling period, the Board of Election Tellers (BET), in the presence of candidates’ representatives and observers, opened the ballot boxes and manually counted the votes for each position. The results were recorded on official tally sheets and then transcribed to the election returns. These documents were then signed by the BET and the witnesses.
Warlyn Igpuara, another voter, suggested that automation could reduce the fatigue associated with long waits during manual counting.
“Many grow tired of waiting when it’s manual; it should be digital (automated),” said Igpuara.
Ronnie Sombilon, also from the City Proper, highlighted the importance of choosing capable leaders. He, too, supports the shift to an automated election system, observing that “an automated machine for counting would be better; it’s more efficient.”
In the Philippines, the shift from manual to automated election systems began with the national elections in 2010. The automated election process involves an electronic system for casting and counting votes, including the Election Management System (EMS), Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, or their later versions known as Vote Counting Machines (VCMs).
On Election Day, voters go to their designated polling places where election officers verify their identities against the official list of registered voters. Upon verification, a voter is issued a ballot, typically a paper sheet pre-printed with the names of candidates and parties participating in the election.
Voters fill out their ballots by shading the circles next to the names of their chosen candidates. After marking their votes, the voters feed their ballots into the VCMs. The machine scans the ballot, records the votes, and stores the data. If the ballot is filled out correctly, the machine drops the ballot into a secure storage compartment, and the voter’s finger is marked with indelible ink.
Once the ballot is successfully cast, the VCM prints out a voter verification paper audit trail (VVPAT) receipt, which the voter reviews to confirm their votes were cast as intended. The receipt is then deposited into a separate secure box for audit purposes.
At the designated time, the polling stations close. The VCMs automatically count the votes and can transmit the results electronically to the municipal canvassing center, which then forwards them to the provincial canvassing center and finally to the national canvassing center.
The automated election system has received praise for shortening the vote-counting period and the time to announce results, thereby narrowing the window for potential vote manipulation. However, it also faced criticisms and challenges, such as concerns about system security, transparency, and technical glitches./PN
