The Philippine Online Chronicles

Hello, I am the 2010 Automated Election Machine.

I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Precinct Count Optical Scan but you can call me P.C.O.S.

For the first time in history, the Philippines will be embracing technology and will transform greatly the electoral system of the country.  I’m so glad to be part of this history.

I’m honored to be one helping the Philippines move away from the known flaws of the old ways.  I am proud to say goodbye to dagdag-bawas.

Why am I here?  What can I do to make your election accurate, easier & faster?  What can I do to protect your ballot and guarantee that who you voted for will truly win?

• You will not need to count and canvass votes for your local and national elections.  I will do it for you.  There will be no room for mistakes.
• I will limit/remove flying voters.  If a precinct has 400 registered voters, I will only accept 400 voters.
• I will not accept overvoting.  This means that if you voted for two candidates for president, I will not count them.  I will count the rest of the ballot though, so your votes will still be counted for other positions.
• Since I will do all your counting and canvassing, we will not tire our teachers for days and weeks.

I know you want to get to know me better.  And what better way than to show you my parts, right?

• Feeder - After you filled up your ballots, this is where you will personally feed your ballots to me!  I accept any orientation, except sideways, of course.
• Touch Screen - This is going to be used by the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) to have a conversation with me.  It is also where I let you know of messages like for you, voter, a confirmation that you have cast your ballot.
• Thermal Printer - The same kind of printer you will find at your local fast food restaurant.  But instead of a receipt, I print out election returns, an audit trail, and transmission of returns.  And no, I’m not cheap.  I only use high quality paper that lasts at least five years.
• Backup Battery - It's there to keep me going and going for up to 16 hours.  This is just in case there is a power failure.  Voting time is between 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  This is so we will be ready for any suprises! :)

Last week, Smartmatic, my maker explained all this during the Bagong Botante event.  And yes, we have videos!!!  So here, check it out:

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Before I go, here is a demo made by COMELEC.  It shows how I’m going to be used during the elections next year.  So, can I just say, it was a pleasure to meet you and hope to see you at the Polls!!! :)

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Photos and the video from Bagong Botante by Author. Demo video by COMELEC Some rights reserved

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