Lawmaker questions credibility of canvassing in May polls

A lawmaker on Thursday expressed reservation over the canvassing of the votes in the May 10 automated elections. Interviewed by reporters, Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez noted that in an automated election, candidates and their watchers have no way of checking whether the number of votes on the election returns would that in the canvassing. “We don’t see the votes coming in. There should be a way to assure the candidates [that they] get their precinct results," he said during the inspection of the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City. Rodriguez suggested that a large screen be provided to each precinct and canvassing unit so that election results could be displayed as they come in. Upon the closing of the voting period on May 10, the poll machines would transmit the results to the Comelec central server, the media, and other stakeholders as required by the law. The Comelec will post the results almost at the same time as the data is sent on a secured Web site provided by poll machine supplier Smartmatic. Smartmatic Asia President Cesar Flores said there is no need to provide a large screen for the watchers because the results will be posted and regularly updated on the Web site. He said the update would be “very fast." “It’s very fast. You have to always check, you have to always click the precinct," he said. Flores said that they would conduct a demonstration of the canvassing procedure for the JCOC-AE to further explain the process. In 2004, it took the Comelec two weeks before it could declare the complete slate of new senators. In 2007, it took them two months to do the same. But the poll body said that the results for the 2010 polls would come out in less than 48 hours. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMANews.TV