DICT studies new concepts for auto polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has started gathering new concepts on the automated election system that would be considered for the 2022 national and local elections.

As chair of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Advisory Council, the DICT will provide recommendations to the Comelec on the appropriate technology to be used for the 2022 elections.

The agency is proposing a vote tallying machines (VTM) concept, which merges new and traditional processes, using manual counting and a unique QR code to faithfully reflect the voting results.

“Through optical mark recognition, the machine will capture, process and display a digital ballot image on a screen for visual confirmation of the voter. Election inspectors will help facilitate the validation and monitor discrepancies. The VTM will also display the running total tally,” the DICT said.

The VTM concept is seen to shorten voting time, simplify the workflow and improve the transparency of vote appreciation at the precinct level, while retaining the previous transmission process, according to the agency.
Aside from its VTM concept, the DICT said other concepts being proposed at present features various methodologies that incorporate the use of blockchain technology, two-factor authentication solutions and encryption security systems, among others. 

DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan said a technology fair featuring various technology providers which was organized by the DICT last week served as a platform to jumpstart a comprehensive approach to the alternative automated election system. 

The exhibit featured various technology providers such as Avant-Garde ICT Inc., Smartmatic Philippines Inc., Indra Philippines Inc., VOATZ and Bapplware Technologies Inc.  

Meanwhile, technology provider Smartmatic is hoping to remain as an election partner of the government amid President Duterte’s order to replace the firm, which has been involved in automated elections in the country since 2010.

In a statement, Smartmatic Asia-Pacific president Ramaakanth Sake said the company wants to continue and strengthen its partnership with the government “in providing a secure, faster and credible election system” as the government undertakes the process of selecting a new concept for an alternative automated election system.

Sake said Smartmatic has been a leader in providing efficient, secure and transparent automated election system in many counties and in the Philippines.
Since 2008, Smartmatic has provided election technology and services in three national elections to some 55 million voters registering 3.1 billion votes.

It said the Comelec purchased a total of 97,350 vote counting machines from the company this year.
Aside from the voting machines, Smartmatic said it also delivered 93,826 headphones, 93,826 modems and hardware for the election management system that supports the operations of the entire automated platform.

Duterte said last May that he wanted the Comelec to Smartmatic.
The President said that Smartmatic, which also provided the counting machines used during the 2016 polls, “promotes cheating” and questioned Comelec for sticking to the tech provider despite the issues that hounded its counting machines.

Senators in the 18th Congress will work hard to have hybrid elections by the year 2022, Sen. Cynthia Villar said yesterday.

Villar said the hybrid elections system is already being used in other countries, where the counting of votes in the precincts is manual but the transmission of votes is electronic.

“We will try very hard to go hybrid in the 2022 elections,” said Villar over radio dwIZ. “If we see the counting in the precinct but it’s wrong in transmission, you have evidence.”

Villar said the Senate leadership has so far committed to give the Senate committee on electoral reforms to neophyte Sen. Imee Marcos.

She also clarified that there is no conflict of interest on the part of Marcos to head the committee even as her younger brother, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has a pending electoral protest against Vice President Leni Robredo at the Supreme Court.  – With Cecille Suerte Felipe