Comelec scraps receipt, opts for onscreen verification

MANILA, Philippines - No vote receipts will be issued, but people can verify the information on their ballots through the screen of the vote counting machine.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday announced that it had unanimously voted to activate the onscreen verification system of the vote counting machines, but rejected the printing of vote receipts.

“We decided to err on the side of transparency. We think it will really enhance the voting experience if, as a voter, you will be able to see who you voted for,” noted Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista.

He said the seven-man commission had also formally resolved not to print the vote receipt “after due deliberation and consultation regarding its advantages and disadvantages as well as risks and benefits.”

With 54.3 million voters, he added, electing more than 18,000 candidates for local and national positions “in just one day is tedious and is not conducive to printing a voting receipt given the current high voter density ratio of 800 voters” for every counting machine.

The vote receipt pertains to a slip of paper that contains the votes cast while the on-screen verification allows voters to verify the accuracy of the machine’s interpretation of their ballots before these are dropped into the ballot boxes. 

But former senator Richard Gordon maintains that the failure of the Comelec to activate the Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) or the issuance of a voter’s printed receipt is a clear violation of the law.

The VVPAT feature allows voters to verify if their ballots were cast correctly through the issuance of a receipt that shows the names of the candidates chosen.

Gordon, who is running for senator in the May 9 elections, said Section 7 (e) of Republic Act 9369, also known as the Automated Elections System (AES) Law, states that VVPAT is one of the minimum system capabilities of the automated elections system and a major security feature of the automated voting machines.

Based on Comelec Resolution 10071 issued yesterday, each voter is given 15 seconds to check his votes on the machine screen after which the counting machine automatically casts the ballots.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in case of an under-vote – where a voter chooses less than the number of candidates needed for a position – a voter can eject the ballots from the machine by pressing the red button. The voter will then be allowed to amend the ballot by going back to the voting area.

“This means that the voter cannot say the machines (read) his votes inaccurately because the only mark he can’t correct is an over-vote.  If a mark is already there as a vote, that cannot be changed,” he added.

An over-vote means a voter selected more than the number of candidates needed for a position. 

Bautista claimed that since the 15-second viewing period for voters entails an additional 2.3 hours of the voting period in a clustered precinct with 800 voters, the Comelec does not discount the possibility of extending the voting hours come election day.

“We will look into it... But as we said, as much as possible, we want the voting to end early,” the chairman said.

The resolution shows that in studying the use of onscreen verification functionality, the Comelec was mindful of the risk that it may have in facilitating vote-buying aside from the possibility that other people may look into who the voter voted for.

“The commission notes the risk that may arise from objections to the contents of onscreen display vis-a-vis one’s vote, whether arising from innocent mistakes or deliberate attempts to undermine the credibility and orderliness of the electoral process,” it also stated.

Bautista maintained that to counter deliberate efforts to undermine the elections, they rely on the public, the political parties, citizen’s groups and teachers comprising the Board of Election Inspectors manning the polls.  

To compel the Comelec to implement VVPAT, Gordon asked the Supreme Court to order the activation of this feature during the May 9 polls.

The Comelec earlier explained that activating VVPAT extends the voting period by seven hours, and could be used as a tool for vote buying. – With Danny Dangcalan