Plans for manual counting set after poll machines in HK fail

(Update 3 – 7:33 PM) The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is preparing for manual counting and tabulation of votes after it was reported that some automated voting machines may fail during the May 2010 elections. The Comelec is in the process of printing 30 percent of the papers needed for manual canvassing nationwide. The papers currently being printed include election returns, certificates of canvass, and other forms needed for manual canvassing. "We've always said that we're preparing 30 percent of the papers needed for a manual canvass," said Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said. Voting in May will be conducted by feeding filled-out 25-inch ballots to the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines. The PCOS machines are expected to count the votes, print 30 election returns, and transmit the results to canvassing centers nationwide. Canvassing is also supposed to be automated. The poll body is preparing manual forms just in case it might need to conduct manual counting — as the last resort — owing to several possible problems on election day. On Sunday, it was reported that two of 20 automated election machines used for overseas absentee voting (OAV) in Hong Kong incurred glitches. This prompted both the Comelec and Smartmatic — the poll machine supplier — to say that the glitches were a "good" preview of the Philippines' first ever nationwide computerized elections on May 10. "It showed us what can happen on election day in the Philippines . . . that’s why it was good that happened," said Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal. But at the same time, preparations for manual vote tabulation do not indicate that the Comelec foresees a failure of elections in May. "These are two separate things... failure of elections that will not happen," Jimenez said. He added that a National Printing Office (NPO) accredited printer has been tasked to print the manually filled up forms needed for canvassing. The NPO is in charge of printing the more than 50 million ballots needed for the automated polls. He said that he has yet to find out how much printing of the manual forms would cost. About 38 million ballots have been printed as of Monday, Larrazabal said. Less than one percent of total poll machines may fail In the meantime, an estimated 0.3 to 0.5 percent — or anywhere from 246 to 411 machines — of the total precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines might need replacement during the May polls, Smartmatic-Asia president Cesar Flores said in a press briefing on Monday. "Machines will break on election day... these things will happen, people have to be aware of this," he said. Smartmatic-TIM has committed to provide 82,200 PCOS machines on election day. Flores issued the statement after at least one PCOS machine jammed and rejected ballots, stalling voting for almost an hour during the second day of the overseas automated polls in Hong Kong. However, he said that temperatures in Hong Kong were different, causing moisture to build up on the ballots while it was being stored overnight. This later prompted the PCOS machines to reject them. Besides hardware failure, operational failures might also occur, Flores said. He noted that Smartmatic has already prepared contingency measures for such incidents. Moreover, Jimenez said that this will not happen in the Philippines because voting will only be held for one day and that the ballots will already have adjusted to the temperature in a specific precinct once voting begins. "It's already on the working environment here... there should be no concerns of that nature," he said in a separate interview. Jimenez said that the Comelec has already allotted 6,000 machines to be used as spares on election day. "(The machines will be) strategically deployed all over the country so that wherever we go, may spare tayo (we will have a spare)," he said. Absentee automated elections abroad just a "test" For its part, the Palace said that absentee automated elections for Filipinos abroad that began over the weekend is a "test" or an "experiment" of the system's effectiveness, Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said. Despite initial glitches, automated elections abroad are expected to be successful, which in turn would carry over to regular elections on May 10, Deputy Presidential Spokesman Gary Olivar said. “Actually expected naman iyan (glitches), basta makina kailangang ini-experiment, tine-test. It is a good test actually, good experiment for the bigger, to the bigger exercise during the May 10 elections," Mendoza said, in an ambush interview at the send-off ceremonies for President Arroyo who left for the United States and Spain Monday. (The glitches were expected. Machines needed to be tested occasionally.) Only two of several PCOS machines used abroad encountered issues and these could be readily addressed by the Comelec before May 10, Mendoza said. But at the same time, he said that people should remain vigilant to ensure that "automation [will be] efficient, 100 percent efficient." “This administration trusts the Comelec and we will give everything we could to support the successful elections through automation," he added. For his part, Olivar said that "it's been a good start." “We’re hopeful that the whole point here is to take the cue from early success and continue to work for success, instead of obsessing about failure," Olivar added. - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV