EDITORIAL - Glitch-free

With only about 18 months to go before the general elections, it looks like the Commission on Elections has made up its mind to use the same voting machines from the past two polls. The Comelec, according to reports, is also planning to award a supply contract for an additional 40,000 automated election system or AES machines to Smartmatic, which provided the 82,000 precinct count optical scan or PCOS machines first used in the 2010 elections.

Refurbishing the 82,000 PCOS machines alone for use in 2016 is estimated to cost P1.2 billion. The competition to bag the supply contract for another 40,000 machines is expected to be stiff. Losing suppliers can make the work of the Comelec difficult as it prepares for the general elections. Every effort must be made to ensure that the award of any supply contract for the automated vote will stand the scrutiny of critics.

Glitches in the machines were reported in the 2010 and 2013 polls, and there were the usual electoral protests in certain areas, several of which remain unresolved. But for the most part, Filipinos accepted the results. After then Comelec chief Jose Melo announced the unofficial results of the 2010 presidential race just hours after the polling centers closed, there was no way the nation would ever return to the laborious manual count.

With the Comelec apparently deciding to use the PCOS machines of Smartmatic again in 2016, the poll body should begin moving to eliminate glitches from the automated vote. The machines need to be tested several times before a broad dry run is undertaken shortly before election day. If the Comelec wants another 40,000 machines, these must be acquired soon and subjected to a series of tests before the elections in May 2016.

The presidential race is shaping up to be a bitter one. This will be on top of the usual violent rivalries in local contests. Clean elections can minimize the violence and contribute to smooth governance. The Comelec must address concerns expressed by poll watchdogs and other groups on the reliability of the voting machines. Effective governance starts with credible elections.