Election in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao is over. For the first time in the Philippines, computers had been used in the exercise. The Commission on Elections pronounced the process a qualified success. There were claims of cheating but that could not be helped. The ARMM election could only be considered a site test. Kinks are still to be ironed out.
As long as the automated part in the process is concerned, it is perfect. Once information, this means all the data items in the record, which is the vote in this case, us entered, it is stored in a file ready for tabulation and summarization, with proper safeguards it can no longer be tampered. There is no error in the entered data since there is automatic conversion into code of the entered data. The flaw lies in the control of the data entry.
Two types of machines had been used. One is the Direct Recording Electronic, DRE, and the other is the OMR, Optical Mark Reader. The former uses the touch screen process while the latter uses the optical scanner. Both processes have been perfected in common practice. The DRE employs a simplified version of the mouse operation in the use of the Windows operating system. Instead of using the cursor to point at the desired icon and pressing the entry button, a finger is used to press the icons, which include the names and pictures of the candidates in the screen before the entry button is pressed. The program can reject the record entry if the voter presses more than the required number of candidates. The voter may cancel the entry if a mistake is made and start again until the record entry, which is his vote in this case, is perfected.
The OMR uses the process that had been used in checking examinations. A spot before the name and picture of the candidate is fully shaded. Voters are warned not to shade more than the required number as excess shades may invalidate the record. While there may be no invalid votes in the DRE, there could be many in the OMR since only one ballot is given to a voter and the voting is confidential.
The flaw lies in the voting process; this must be strictly controlled by precinct officials. Since identity check of voters are left to election personnel, flying voters may be made to vote with the connivance of manipulators and crooked precinct officials. Only a rigid finger print check can prevent this. A systems designer would recommend inclusion of a file of right thumb marks of voters of that particular precinct in the DRE or OMR program and installing a fingerprint reader used in timekeeping machines to check voters identities.
Reporting in the ARMM elections is not yet fully real time, which is understandable. DREs and OMRs are hauled from each precinct to municipal counting centers to be tabulated and summarized. From there, results are beamed to provincial capitals and to Comelec. Manila. At least, this is a great improvement over the old system. With DREs ballot box snatching are things of the past. Records and files in the missing DREs and OMRs can be rejected.
With instant communications, election results may be sent to municipal centers from remote precincts using dedicated communications lines in wireless communications. If all processes like totalisation, tabulation, summarization and transmission become strictly automated at a required deadline, no vote manipulation would be possible. Installation and perfection of an automated voting system may be costly but these are only first time costs and benefits are high and long lasting. Any administration would have full trust of the people and should they lose that trust, they can be easily replaced if the Constitution allows.
As long as the automated part in the process is concerned, it is perfect. Once information, this means all the data items in the record, which is the vote in this case, us entered, it is stored in a file ready for tabulation and summarization, with proper safeguards it can no longer be tampered. There is no error in the entered data since there is automatic conversion into code of the entered data. The flaw lies in the control of the data entry.
Two types of machines had been used. One is the Direct Recording Electronic, DRE, and the other is the OMR, Optical Mark Reader. The former uses the touch screen process while the latter uses the optical scanner. Both processes have been perfected in common practice. The DRE employs a simplified version of the mouse operation in the use of the Windows operating system. Instead of using the cursor to point at the desired icon and pressing the entry button, a finger is used to press the icons, which include the names and pictures of the candidates in the screen before the entry button is pressed. The program can reject the record entry if the voter presses more than the required number of candidates. The voter may cancel the entry if a mistake is made and start again until the record entry, which is his vote in this case, is perfected.
The OMR uses the process that had been used in checking examinations. A spot before the name and picture of the candidate is fully shaded. Voters are warned not to shade more than the required number as excess shades may invalidate the record. While there may be no invalid votes in the DRE, there could be many in the OMR since only one ballot is given to a voter and the voting is confidential.
The flaw lies in the voting process; this must be strictly controlled by precinct officials. Since identity check of voters are left to election personnel, flying voters may be made to vote with the connivance of manipulators and crooked precinct officials. Only a rigid finger print check can prevent this. A systems designer would recommend inclusion of a file of right thumb marks of voters of that particular precinct in the DRE or OMR program and installing a fingerprint reader used in timekeeping machines to check voters identities.
Reporting in the ARMM elections is not yet fully real time, which is understandable. DREs and OMRs are hauled from each precinct to municipal counting centers to be tabulated and summarized. From there, results are beamed to provincial capitals and to Comelec. Manila. At least, this is a great improvement over the old system. With DREs ballot box snatching are things of the past. Records and files in the missing DREs and OMRs can be rejected.
With instant communications, election results may be sent to municipal centers from remote precincts using dedicated communications lines in wireless communications. If all processes like totalisation, tabulation, summarization and transmission become strictly automated at a required deadline, no vote manipulation would be possible. Installation and perfection of an automated voting system may be costly but these are only first time costs and benefits are high and long lasting. Any administration would have full trust of the people and should they lose that trust, they can be easily replaced if the Constitution allows.
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