Will poll automation be beneficial to the country?

Ruel Bautista, Laguna: Poll automation’s ultimate goal is to speed up the counting with the least human intervention. It’s not only beneficial; it’s our road to progress.

Rene Poder, Manila: Cheating can now be fully automated, whereas, before, it was only manual.

It’s a big leap

Zeth Renae Raquedan, Ilocos Sur: Poll automation is far more reliable than the ballot system. It’s fast and accurate. At the same time, there are smaller chances of cheating and the system is in line with our hi-tech generation.

L.C. Fiel, Quezon City: I’m sure it will be. Twenty-first century, here we come! But why do I get the feeling that many people don’t want it to happen?

Jimmy Donton, Puerto Princesa City: It is the only solution to find the true will of the people with swiftness and accuracy. If the people know that their votes are counted, then it would be a means to unite our fractured nation towards equality and fairness.

Renato Taylan, Ilocos Norte: Yes, we don’t have to stagnate and content ourselves doing things manually when we can afford to automate.

Jeza Mariel Miguel, Ilocos Sur: Yes. With poll automation, we can be assured that election results will be accurate. It will also be easier for voters.

There are pros and cons

Justin Phillip Talbo, Ilocos Sur: In some ways, yes, because automation will help us know faster who the election winner is. It can also be a means to just, fair, and clean elections as the system could be very hard to cheat. But on the other hand, what if those machines don’t work during the elections?

J.R. Mondoñedo Jr., Parañaque City: You can use all the high-tech equipment there is, but when someone loses, they would still say they were cheated. Pinoys are basically sore losers. Even a candidate who loses by a landslide would still say he was cheated.

Problems could outweigh the benefits

Germi Sison, Cabanatuan City: Theoretically, poll automation will be beneficial to the country, as it will hasten and secure the election process, from voting to tabulation. In reality, however, problems and dangers may outweigh the benefits: requiring poll automation machine experts to man the election process; and power outages, intentional or not, may cause a failure of election. In case the automation system fails, would manual voting and counting be on hand? If all possible flaws and risks are solved and secured, poll automation would really be beneficial to all concerned in the long run.

Marvin Joshua Chan, Ilocos Sur: Poll automation can lead to improvement or disaster. Improvement, because it will make the election faster, neater, and more efficient. However, the downside of poll automation is greater than its upside. Someone can just hack the machine and change the results. Humans are so intelligent that they can do anything good or bad depending on their intent. Science can lead to development or destruction.

Automation is the way to go

Robert Young Jr., San Juan: Automation will benefit our country. I can’t understand why all the hesitation and worries. It will cut the time it takes to declare winners by 99 percent. It’s like banking; it used to take dozens of people to enter transactions in books, but after computerization, branches became connected to the head office online and transactions are sent to the head office in real time. A branch has more security guards than bank employees. If you worry about cheating, it can happen in both manual and computerized elections. In both situations, we just have to be vigilant.

Imee Aglibot, USA: It will save us time, money and resources. Besides, it’s long overdue. We would like to know who the next president would be in a matter of days. Who would like to be still in the Jurassic period in this day and age?

Eufrocino Linsangan, Isabela: Our way of counting votes is noong pang bata pa si Sabel. It’s high time for poll automation for quick results and to prevent would-be Garcis.

Alecza Mae Savella, Ilocos Sur: With poll automation, we can avoid inaccuracies in counting. We can also save time. Filipinos want fast elections results.

C.B. Manalastas, Manila: Definitely, since it will ensure fast election results and eliminate complaints of dagdag-bawas.

Geeann Rivera, San Pablo City: I am a first-time voter. I want it to be automated, please. Poll automation will be beneficial to voters because of faster results. Look at the US elections. After one day, he Americans already knew that Obama won.

Ishmael Q. Calata, Parañaque City: It will be most beneficial to our country as long as nobody messes with it. “Garbage in, garbage out,” remember? If the whole country will be automated and people will be fully educated on the nitty-gritty of voting under the new system, it will assure us of accurate and fast results. The key benefit that it will lend in 2010 is the fact that the Philippines will be abreast with its neighbors and the rest of the world, plucking us out of the dark ages that made us a laughingstock in the region. And as the results will be out faster, there will be less or nil hocus-pocus during the counting.

Leandro Tolentino, Batangas: Although electoral fraud is likely to continue as an alibi of losing candidates, poll automation would be beneficial to the country in the long run.

Bernard Tansiongco, Metro Manila: Yes, definitely. It takes us a month or two to count the votes manually, while other nations only take a day to proclaim a winner. We know that poll automation will not be perfect as we start the operation, but we can always improve the system in the next one. Fast counting of the votes will not totally eliminate cheating but it will lessen the possibility of dagdag-bawas and other forms of vote-rigging somewhat.

Rico Fabello, Parañaque City: If done right, we will know the results faster. Yes, it will be good for the country.

Lucas Banzon Madamba II, Laguna: Poll automation will be beneficial to the country since the conduct of the elections will be faster, more accurate, precise, neat and honest.

Dennis Montealto, Mandaluyong City: I need not cite the benefits that poll automation may bring to our electoral process. Suffice it to say that it will overhaul our voting attitude.

Ryan Pahimulin, Rizal: Of course. There’s no need to explain that. Let’s pray for the Comelec’s success in implementing it.

Randolph Hallasgo, Misamis Oriental: Yes, in order to make the elections faster and cleaner. No more complaining among candidates that they were cheated. The counting of votes will not take long. And besides, we would automatically know in just one day who the next President is.

We still have to vote wisely

Alyssa Mae Ramos, Ilocos Sur: I think poll automation will benefit the country if we use it with clean hands and a clean conscience. It will be easier to see election results. It will surely save a lot of time. We just have to keep in mind that the result of the upcoming elections still lies in our hands.

It’s open to manipulation

Marilou Sy, Metro Manila: I am wary about our version of poll automation where the counting will be too private to be monitored. According to well-meaning analysts, the counting should still be done in full view of the public. Some I.T. people may be lured by money to help fix the results through hacking. Needless to say, we need to start somewhere when it comes to poll automation, as the US is said to have been at it for 50 years already and still have not perfected the process. I expect much confusion and controversy that the powers-that-be might exploit to tilt the results in their favor. We should all be vigilant then.

Diony Yap, Bacolod City: Poll automation per se is beneficial to the Filipino people. Complete failure is not a remote possibility, however, when trapos try to manipulate the system.

Manuel Abejero, Pangasinan: Even the noblest of intentions can go awry with so many cheating and scheming politicians lurking in the dark, waiting in ambush, trying to figure out how they will be able to derail or prevent its implementation.

Florimar Narcise, Ilocos Sur: It depends. If a candidate is willing to do anything to win, automation might not be beneficial. We’ll just be wasting our money on buying high-tech trash.

Joe Nacilla, Las Piñas City: Since it’s the first time such is being implemented, at the moment, we cannot say definitely if it will be beneficial to our country. Based on what we’ve read and heard, it’s a perfect tool in US elections. However, the US has different electoral systems and structures created by sensible lawmakers that can foresee future implications. The electoral system in our country, on the other hand, is highly complex that it can easily be manipulated by politicians.

Eduardo de Jesus, Metro Manila: Makabubuti iyan para sa bansa, kung may kasiguruhan tayong walang pwedeng kumalikot niyan para makapandaya na naman.

Athena Charanne Presto, Ilocos Sur: Contemplating on how our corrupt officials think, poll automation still cannot escape the stain of cheating. They will obviously find a way to manipulate the votes and win. Going deeper, poll automation will just make our unethical officials cheat faster than they did in the last election.

Elsa Mendoza, Quezon City: Frankly, I have this nagging feeling that with the excellent propensity of some people (out of immense fear for self), to turn the tide, by hook or by crook, there just might be the big possibility that this poll automation will become a humongous bane to the country, with not just a little help from some computer whiz, for a million and much more, reasons. 

It will help curb cheating

Ed Alawi, Davao City: It’s make or break for poll automation in 2010. If it materializes, electoral cheating would be minimized.

Edwin Castillo, Tanauan City: With automation, poll cheaters will have a hard time cheating due to lack of time.

Jarel Aubrey Apelin, Vigan City: Fully automated Philippine elections will bring about more credible and efficient polls next year. Gone will be the days of long, tedious, and cheating-prone manual counting. It will also curtail the culture of cheating, which has become a standard in Philippine elections.

Marvin Malaca, Cabanatuan City: Yes, even if it cannot ensure a 100-per cent clean election, it will be a big help in lessening fraud.

Carlos John Villareal, Ilocos Sur: I really think that it will be beneficial to our country, specifically for the coming elections. There will be no dagdag-bawas, I hope. Elections will be clean and honest with the help of poll automation.

John Romuald Corpuz, Ilocos Sur: Poll automation can be beneficial in a way that the counting can be more accurate and it can lessen cheating in elections, although it won’t totally erase it.

We can’t afford not to be vigilant

Johann Lucas, Quezon City: Poll automation feeds the wrong impression to the public that the elections will be clean and credible. Because it is a machine, it is powerless against any fraud that takes place before, during and after the elections. And because it’s just a machine, it’s vulnerable to human intervention such as software attacks, glitches, and other technical problems that could result in wholesale electronic cheating.

Jim Veneracion, Naga City: Poll automation can only be beneficial to the country if politician cheats, especially “Hello, Garci?” veterans, would be prevented from making a mockery of the elections.

It started on the wrong foot

Dr. Dennis Acop, Baguio City: Honest-to-goodness poll automation will certainly benefit the country. I emphasize honest-to-goodness because in the same way that automation can be positive, it can also be negative. However, how can we be optimistic about automation in the upcoming elections when there are already so many doubts raised regarding the winning bidder and the bidding process? I happen to know this personally as a classmate of mine is among the bidders and this classmate is as straight as an arrow and would have won the bid if meritocracy were the name of the game. So, I think we already started on the wrong foot with poll automation that is supposed to ensure honest and orderly elections in mid-2010. The larger aim of automation that is, ensuring the sanctity of the electoral process must not be lost on us. What is at stake here is the very essence of democracy, the sovereign will of the people. Anything less is a failure of democracy and a triumph of tyranny.

Let’s hope it is beneficial

Alexander Raquepo, Ilocos Sur: I am hopeful it will be beneficial. The investment cost alone must provide us a very good return on investment in terms of efficiency, accuracy, and timeliness while eliminating fraud.

Rod Villar, Iriga City: Poll automation will be beneficial to the country in terms of political stability. It will be one of the legacies that this administration can offer as a monumental gift to the Filipino nation. Somehow, it will resolve the perennial problems during elections in a country where there are no losers and everyone is a winner in any electoral contest! If a candidate loses, he will howl in protest to the whole world, with full media backing, that he was cheated, casting doubt on the legitimacy of the status of the duly-elected candidate. This is how politically immature we are in a supposed democratic country.

R.F. Layug, Metro Manila: We have yet to see the results of our initial election automation next year, but I do hope it will be beneficial to our country.

Leonard Villa, Batac City: How do we know? We can only give appropriate feedback after the May 2010 elections. Let’s hope for the best and be optimistic.

Fortunato Aguirre, Bulacan: Let us pray for it to succeed. It makes me shiver to think of election failure.

It should be implemented well

Erwin Espinoza, Pangasinan: Poll automation will be very much beneficial. Huwag lang ma-hocus-pocus ang results.

Rowena Remiendo, Makati City: If the automation will be implemented and monitored very well, it will be beneficial to the country.

Cris Rivera, Rizal: It must. RP’s future and Comelec’s credibility is at stake. The Filipino people will enjoy lasting benefits if automating the 2010 polls won’t turn out to be an exercise in futility.

Pedro Alagano Sr., Vigan City: Yes, if implemented to the letter with zero or minimal glitches. But it would be detrimental if unscrupulous politicians are allowed to circumvent it.

Not an assurance of clean elections

Marc Avisado, Vigan City: Poll automation is not the silver bullet to end electoral fraud in the Philippines. I’m skeptical. Smartmatic TIM’s precinct count optical scan system is not a tested product. There’s no nationwide pilot test on record. Its hardware and software are not fool-proof devices and are vulnerable to attack from hackers all over the world. Power outage could cripple the elections. Watch out for loose bolts and screws. It may destroy the whole electoral exercise.

Charissa Tuazon, Ilocos Sur: I think poll automation can be beneficial to the country. Compared to the manual voting system, it would really make voting faster, easier, and more convenient. But even if poll automation is better overall, there are still some disadvantages. We cannot say, for one, that poll automation would be free of cheating. It would depend on the people in charge of the elections if they really want to have clean elections.

Voter education is key

Gerii Calupitan, Muntinlupa City: Although poll automation may ferret out mass cheating, we need to educate 99 per cent of Pinoy voters to discern the truth before filling out their ballots. Cheaters will be brainstorming innovative methods before 2010.

Ruben Viray, Antipolo City: The Philippines will now be at par with other countries around the world. This is a great relief to the voting population, and most especially to teachers. Proclamations of winning candidates will now be done in a few days just after the election. Now, there will be a quick and reliable way of counting of all votes the modern way. To ensure the success of poll automation, the government should intensify its campaign to teach the public about the voting system. Safeguards and contingency plans should be at hand for possible breakdown of computers as well as hackers, if there are any. Let’s pray that poll automation will prosper with flying colors.

It will never happen

Rex Earlou Calmerin, Iligan City:  Poll automation is only for public display. It will never happen by the next elections.

Views expressed in this section do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The STAR. The STAR does not knowingly publish false information and may not be held liable for the views of readers exercising their right to free expression. The publication also reserves the right to edit contributions to this section as it sees fit.

NEXT INBOX QUESTION: What is your comment on the Philippine Senate’s call for the government to review our Visiting Forces Agreement with the US?

You may also email your views to: [email protected].

(Editor’s Note: We have just added another channel to reach Inbox World via the growing Facebook community. If you have a Facebook account, add up PhilStar Inbox and give us a glimpse of your views on raging issues of the day. Selected comments will be published in The Philippine STAR Inbox World. Readers may also post intriguing questions for other Inbox friends to comment on. See you there.)