ARMM AUTOMATED ELECTIONS A SUCCESS
Gordon: Comelec should start preparations for 2010

Senator Richard J. Gordon, the author of the Automated Elections Law, said that the ARMM Elections was a success as he urged the Commission on Elections to start the preparations for the full automation of the 2010 elections.

"The recently concluded ARMM automated elections is a success. The exercise was orderly and generally peaceful. The voters were excited to try the high-tech equipment, in just a short while they were able to get the hang of it. The teachers were happy too because they had less of a hard time since the voting process was quick," Gordon said.

Meanwhile, Gordon filed Senate Resolution 567, urging the Comelec to commence preparations for the full automation of the 2010 Presidential Elections, saying that there was no more excuse not to fully automate the elections in the entire country come 2010.

Although Gordon admitted there were some minor problems in the automated system, he insisted the Comelec could fine tune these now for a smooth nationwide automated elections in two years time.

"There are concerns to be addressed regarding the transmission. We want the counting to do faster and we want transparency in it to know who are winning or losing. The ideal scenario is that, only the voter handles the ballot. The less human intervention, the more credible the elections would be," Gordon said.

Between the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) and the Direct Recording Electronic (DRE), Gordon said he preferred the DRE where only the voter holds the ballot.

In the DRE, after casting his vote, the voter would wait for the ballot to be printed and place it inside the ballot box. The ballot box will only be opened when the need for the recounting of votes arises. Meanwhile, in the OMR, the ballot is handed over to the voter, who casts his vote and places it inside the ballot box, which will be opened during the canvassing of votes.

Gordon said he is pleased with the 84% voter turn-out in the ARMM elections. He thanked our Muslim brothers and sisters who took part in the historic event and showed the country how modernized voting could happen.