CAGAYAN de Oro City — Voters in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will have more ways to check their votes when they cast their ballots in the Sept. 14 First Parliamentary Elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the new vote-counting machines (VCMs) will allow voters to view their ballots after processing and receive a printed ballot receipt.
Comelec spokesperson Lawyer John Rex Laudiangco said the added features are meant to give voters greater confidence that their ballots were properly read and recorded.
Unlike the machines used in earlier elections, the new system combines a printed receipt with an on-screen display of the ballot after it has been processed.
Laudiangco said voters can check the displayed ballot before leaving the polling place. They can also compare it with the printed receipt to see if the information matches the ballot they submitted.
“Pagkatapos mong bumoto, makikita mo yung balota mo,” Laudiangco said, explaining that voters can check whether their marks were properly read by the machine.
More checks after counting
The new system will also allow an additional review at the precinct level after the ballots have been counted, election returns printed and results transmitted.
Laudiangco said authorized watchers and other permitted individuals may stay at the polling place and observe the process.
After the results are transmitted, the machine will display the ballots it read one by one.
Photos and videos may be taken during this post-counting display, he said. However, voters are still prohibited from using mobile phones while they are casting their ballots.
The displayed ballots will not contain information identifying the voter, allowing the process to be documented without revealing who cast the ballot.
Comelec continues voter education
The new VCM features are part of the Comelec's preparations for BARMM's first parliamentary elections.
The poll body is also continuing voter education activities to help voters understand the new machines and become familiar with the voting process before election day.
The effort follows the Comelec's broader voter education campaign in BARMM, which also covers the parliamentary system, proper voting procedures, over-voting and election-related misinformation.
For voters, the new system means there will be additional opportunities to check how their ballots were processed—before they leave the polling place and during the authorized post-counting review. (With a report from Apipa Bagumbaran of PIA-10)
