New poll machines faster, user-friendly, with extended power supply — Comelec
Metro Manila, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday, Dec. 2, launched a nationwide roadshow of the South Korean-made automated counting machine (ACMs) for the midterm polls, highlighting faster and user-friendly features.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia led the live demonstration of the ACM units manufactured by technology provider Miru Systems at the Manila High School in Intramuros.
He proceeded to the Comelec central office afterwards to encourage poll workers to familiarize themselves with the new features of the machine.
The ACM will replace the Smartmatic vote counting machine used in the previous three national elections.
Miru Systems has delivered over 110,000 ACM units.
Comelec encouraged groups to request local poll offices to conduct live demonstrations to expand the voter education drive about the new machine.
On voter review
The ACM has an adjustable 14-inch monitor screen equipped with secrecy panels.
The new automated counting machine will have a touchscreen monitor where voters can review their ballots as read by the machine. Headphones can also be used for visually impaired voters.
“Dito makikita na ng botante, aside from the voter receipt, makikita niya rin mamaya ‘yong ballot image after i-feed ‘yong ballot,” explained Abigail Claire Carbero-Llacuna, the director of the Comelec Education and Information Department.
[Translation: Aside from the voter receipt, the voters will see the image after they feed the ballot to the machine.]
“Makakatulong din nang malaki sa teachers para lang sila nagse-cellphone o iPad dahil ito na ‘yong magiging control menu nila sa pag-o-open, pagko-close ng voting o pagge-generate ng election returns,” Llacuna said.
[Translation: The screen would be of great help for the teachers because they could be operating a cellphone or iPad-like device since it will be their control menu to open and close the voting and generate election returns.]
The ACM also has a headphone feature for visually impaired voters to listen to how the machine reads their ballots.
Quick scan
The new unit has a faster scanning of ballots with thinner paper. The Comelec said the ink will not bleed through the paper.
An official of the Commission on Elections tries to feed a sample ballot to the automated counting machine. The poll body assures that the machine has an auto-paper-align feature to avoid paper jams.
Garcia said it could take less than a minute to process the ballot with the new machine features.
“Pagkahulog ng balota, iche-check ng machine ‘yong mismong balota kung nandiyan lahat ng features ng balota, 14 seconds ‘yon,” Garcia said.
Garcia said if the machine rejects a ballot, the voter would have three more attempts to feed the ballot before it gets denied.
“Pagkatapos magpi-print ng resibo, ‘yong resibo ngayon mapapakita sa kanya, pagkatapos makikita sa screen ‘yong picture, pwede niya ikumpara,” he said. “Fifteen seconds ‘yong harap, dun nakafocus sa boto, at boto sa party-list nasa likod, five seconds.”
[Translation: The voter receipt will be printed. Voters can compare the receipt and the screen. The front part of the ballot will be shown on the screen for 15 seconds, while the back part, where the party-list choices are listed, can be checked for five seconds.]
The voter receipt has a QR code that can only be double-checked by election officers after polls close.
This receipt will be put inside a receptacle found on the side of the machine, doing away with the yellow ballot box in previous elections.
‘Luggage bag’
Comelec also built “luggage bags” for the ACM units, which are “water-proof, dust-proof, shock-proof, and impact-proof.”
The Commission on Elections showcases the “luggage bag” for the automated counting machine.
The bag has compartments to store accessories.
Garcia said the Comelec is reviewing adding more foam inside the bag to protect the machine from the impact of transportation after receiving a report from Mindanao of a damaged screen during Monday’s simultaneous live demonstration.
“Isa sa tiningnan namin, napakalayo kasi nong lugar therefore baka du’n sa handling no’ng machine,” he told reporters.
[Translation: One of the reasons we are checking is that the area was too far, maybe the incident was caused by the handling of the machine.]
Power-related issues
For the ACM, the Comelec utilized a lithium-ion battery that could last up to over 14 hours.
The automated counting machines will have lithium-ion batteries expected to last up to over 14 hours.
“Parang laptop po talaga siya,” Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiango said of the machine.
“Matanggal man sa kuryente mabunot, mawalan ng kuryente kung saan tayo naghahalalan, walang fluctuation, hindi kukurap ang makina, tuloy-tuloy ang pag-andar ng ACM,” he added.
[Translation: It’s like a laptop. The machine will function uninterruptedly when unplugged from the power source. Its operation will not fluctuate.]
