EDITORIAL - New voting system

After being used since the 2016 general elections, the current 98,000 vote counting machines have become “unserviceable” and need replacement.

This is according to the Commission on Elections, which has drawn up terms of reference for a new automated counting machine that it hopes will get funding approval from Malacañang and Congress. The Comelec finalized the TOR even before getting Congress’ nod to ensure that the procurement timeline will allow the use of the ACMs in the 2025 midterm elections.

In line with the Comelec’s policy of FASTrAC – or Fully Automated System with Transparency Audit and Count – the new ACM is envisioned to feature both upgraded optical mark reader and direct recording electronic capabilities. As outlined in the Comelec’s TOR, the new OMR will feature stamping instead of shading the names of preferred candidates. DRE features a touchscreen system.

Instead of voting data passing through a router, the new system is envisioned to send data directly to the authorized recipients including political parties, the media and accredited citizens arm. The Comelec estimates that it will need 127,000 machines for 71 million voters in 2025.

Some senators have been cool to the Comelec’s proposal, citing the expected hefty price tag for new ACMs amid the massive national debt and widening budget deficit.

The Comelec, on the other hand, has warned that if the current VCMs are not replaced, it may be forced to shift to a combination automated and manual elections in 2025, with only a few still serviceable machines to be used in selected areas.

Another option is to revert to full manual voting, which will be the mode in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections or BSKE this October. There are Filipinos, unfortunately, who have mastered the art of cheating in manual elections, from the voter registration to the actual counting.

This early, there are already calls for a congressional inquiry into reports of anomalous voter registration for the BSKE. You wonder how much is at stake that people are resorting to such fraud just to bag positions in the smallest unit of government.

Whether or not the Comelec gets its new machines, ensuring the integrity of the vote and reducing if not completely eliminating vulnerability to various forms of cheating must be primordial considerations in picking the mode and equipment for the next elections.