Too few votes in UP's computerized mock polls

While grim rumors of a “no-election" scenario on May 10 abound, the University of the Philippines is holding its own fully automated mock national elections – a first in the university’s history, yet has attracted too few voters so far. “Botong Isko 2010: An Online Mock Polls for Clean, Transparent, and Honest Elections," which has been ongoing since March 18, was set up by the UP Linux Users’ Group (UnPLUG), the same organization behind last month’s computerized University Student Council Elections. According to the Botong Isko 2010 Web site, the project “aims to unite students and the whole UP community for a clean, transparent, and honest elections, and to find out which candidates are favored by the Iskolar ng Bayan in the upcoming elections."

Under the computerized system, UP students from all campuses can vote even when they are outside of the campus as long as they have Internet access. JP Bernardo, UnPLUG communications officer, said setting up the Botong Isko 2010 only took one and a half days although they have been planning for it since last year. He said the software used in the mock elections has been tried and tested in previous campus elections even by other universities and colleges. “Sanay na lang kasi kami talagang gumawa ng mga ganun (We’re used to doing things like that)," he told GMANews.TV. He added that they had been trained in past projects like the USC elections as well as the Alternative Classroom Learning Experience Computerized Registration System. Low voter turnout The problem, however, seems to lie in encouraging UP students to participate, as Bernardo acknowledged that so far the overall turnout – only 6.30 percent or 2,430 voters as of 4 p.m. Tuesday – is not very high. So far, UP Diliman tops the UP campuses with the most number of student participation (8.01 percent, followed by UP Manila (5.94 percent), UP Cebu (5.29 percent), UP Iloilo (5.16 percent), UP Miag-ao (4.03 percent), UP Mindanao (3.44 percent), UP Tacloban (2.81 percent) and UP Baguio (1.75 percent). User-friendly interface The Botong Isko 2010 homepage has links to several useful pages, including a manual on voting, schedule of activities, and an online petition for clean and honest elections. There is also a shout box where visitors can interact with each other. Unlike in the actual nationwide elections, there will be no time limit for voters to cast their votes in the Botong Isko 2010 system. Voters are also asked to confirm their choices prior to voting. They can also print their ballots as proof of their votes. A disclaimer on the login page, however, informs the voters of a “weak" password that can “compromise" the mock elections. In the system, students can log in using their student number as username and their surname as passwords. “The password may seem to be weak and the mock elections might be compromised due to this. However, let us be reminded that our aim is to have a clean, transparent, and honest elections. We may as well start our advocacy here. Let us take the first steps towards attaining our goal," the reminder read. Bernardo admitted that anyone who has access to a student’s student number can vote even without the owner’s authorization. He, however, said that apart from login problems – which he said could be caused by mistakes in typing the password, browser troubles, and students missing from the database sent by their campus – they have yet to receive major complaints about the system. The results of Botong Isko 2010 will be announced at 12 noon on Thursday at the lobby of Vinzons Hall. - KBK, GMANews.TV