My thoughts on automated elections with reference to the current situation

The past manually-done Philippine elections rely heavily on manual tallying and canvassing of votes. This kind of election makes the processes vulnerable to control and manipulation by traditional politicians and those with vested interests. As I have searched from www.inquirer.net, I saw the basic problems afflicting electoral system. And these are (a) outdated electoral process; (b) failure to implement the electoral modernization law; (c) limited administrative and regulatory capabilities of the COMELEC; (d) ineffective educational/information campaigns on new laws and policies; (e) weak political party system; (f) unaccountable political financing; and (g) defective party list system (Governance Assessment, 2003). Filipinos are so sick and tired of this manual process of election. And, I do not want to hear another Hello Garci Scandal this coming election.

I hope automated Philippine election will happen in 2010 election to ensure a credible and transparent electoral process. The modernization of the electoral system through computerization shall be supported to ensure the credibility of polls and correct the deficiencies in the electoral system. With recent settlement of differences between Smartmatic and TIM, this is for the betterment of the country. Filipino people have been desiring for automated elections for the past four decades. I hope the reconciliation is genuine so that we have an election system in 2010 that has integrity, security, and veracity. I hope this project of government is not another fraudulent deal like the Mega Pacific contract. Related to this event, the two companies, Smartmatic and TIM agreed to consult a Singaporean neutral arbiter should disagreements arise or to submit to a Singaporean court that would apply commercial arbitration rules, in case of a disagreement in the future. This development is good for the country to solidify the full automation of 2010 election.

With the recent news this week, this 2010 Election will hire almost 80 T nformation technology (IT) people who will assist the Comelec in conducting the automated election and to handle the voting machines. This is a big help in terms of financial aspect to all techiguys in a short period of time. And, it will be great experience for them to serve the country and countrymen in an information technology way.

Truly, our election needs more than an automated election. The Election Code must be further revised and amended to respond to the needs of the present electoral system. Measures to strengthen the party system and regulate the activities of political parties shall be created. State financing of political parties shall also be considered through the passage of the Campaign Finance Bill. The Comelec’s capacity to raise the level of political discourse and educate citizens regarding their right to vote will be enhanced. This will be done through conduct of continuing citizen and voter education through partnership with civil society groups and other government institutions. The electorate must be empowered with information that would help them vote intelligently. The challenge is to develop the people’s appreciation of their vote as a means to reform the government and receive better services from it. Part of this challenge is the need to raise the awareness of the electorate on relevant issues and the corresponding platforms of the candidates, if the country is to shift from the politics of personality to the politics of party programs.

Reference:
INQUIRER.net