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Read these first: Know your ballot;
know the Automated Election Machine; and practice with a sample ballot. Take time to read on how to resolve potential problems of automated election during election day. Download Handbook on Automated Elections, Canvassing & Election Monitoring.

New and old voters might be a little intimidated by the fancy technology used for the 2010 Presidential elections. However, the new automated process is being employed for quick, easy, and transparent counting that should minimize fraud. Hopefully, this quick guide on how to vote in an automated election will make the procedure less confusing for you.

Before reading the rest of the article, take time to know your ballot, the Automated Election Machine, and how to find online your precinct before election day.

You might want to watch this video before reading the steps

Here is the video guide on the 5 easy steps :

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

 

Step 1 - Go to your precinct on May 10

There will be about 37,062 voting centers and 74,427 clustered precincts. Each clustered precinct will have one Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machine, each of which can supposedly accommodate up to 1,000 voters. Read on how to find online your precinct before election day.

Upon arriving at the precinct, a voter should look for his or her name at the Posted Computerized Voters List (PCVL) near the door of the voting center to determine his or her precinct number and sequence number. The voter will be instructed to give these pieces of information to the Bureau of Election Inspector (BEI) together with other personal information.

Make sure you bring your voter’s ID with you. If you don’t have one yet, bring any valid ID along with your registration stub.

 

 

STEP 2 - Get your identity verified

After his or her identity is verified, the name of the voter will be read out loud to give chance for any contention. If uncontested, he or she will be given a ballot by the BEI chairman – only upon ensuring that the said voter has yet to cast his or her vote in a precinct.

STEP 3- How to use your ballot

Take a look at what the ballot looks like first.

Listen to the BEI's instruction on how to fill the ballot. The voter will be instructed to fill out his or her ballot using a secrecy folder and a marking pen provided by the Comelec. He or she must fill out the ballot by fully shading at least 50 percent of the oval beside the names of the candidates and party-list group of his or her choice. View sample ballot.

1. Every voter gets only ONE ballot. No replacement ballots will be given to voters who make a mistake.
2. Make sure the ballot you receive has no marks and is otherwise clean.
3. Each ballot comes with the name of the candidates. To the left of the candidates are ovals. Simply shade the oval next to the name of the chosen candidate.
4. The oval must be shaded COMPLETELY. Ballots with check marks, x marks, partially shaded ovals, and other marks will be regected.
5. Do not over-vote (e.g. vote two candidates for the position of President) because this will invalidate your votes for the position (but not the whole ballot).

HOW TO ACCOMPLISH THE BALLOT

1. The voter shall, using a ballot secrecy folder and the marking pen provided by the Comelec, fill his ballot by fullv shadinq the oval beside the names of the candidates and political party participating in the party list system of representation of his choice.

2. The voter shall then approach the PC0S; insert his ballot in the ballot entry slot and wait until the ballot is dropped into the ballot box. The BEI shall monitor the PCOS screen to make sure that the ballot was successfully accepted. Thereafter, the voter shall return the ballot secrecy folder and marking pen to the chairman.

3. The chairman shall apply indelible ink at the base and extending to the cuticle of the right forefinger nail of the voter, or any other nail if there be no forefinger nail.

4. The voter shall affix his thumbmark on the corresponding space in the election day computerized voters list or EDCVL.

5. The voter shall then leave the polling place. Source: Section 35 of Comelec Resolution No. 8739

6. You can bring a sheet of your chosen candidates with you when you vote.

To practice voting in the special ballots for automation, download sample ballots for non-ARMM and ARMM areas at the Comelec website or if the Comelec site is slow, download ballot template for ARMM and non-ARMM areas.

STEP 4 - Feed your ballot to the PCOS

Get to know the Automated Election Machine.

PCOS stands for Precinct Count Optical Scan. This is a paper-based technology that contains pre-programmed information on the location, number of voters, etc. Each precinct will have one PCOS. Voters themselves feed their ballot into the machine. The machine will scan both sides of the ballot and will reject invalid ballots that are fake, photocopied, or have been previously inserted.

Once you have accomplished your ballot, feed the ballot into the PCOS. Every voter must personally feed his or her ballot into the machine. Wait for the confirmation message to appear on the screen.

Wait until the ballot is dropped into the semi-transparent ballot box. If the ballot is rejected, the BEI will allow for another re-entry, but if rejected again, the voter will not be issued a replacement ballot.

The voter should return the secrecy folder and marking pen to the BEI chairman.

STEP 5 - Go to the BEI for indelible inking

The BEI chairman will in turn apply indelible ink at the base and extend it to the cuticle of the right forefinger nail of the voter, who will then be instructed to affix his or her thumbmark in the space in the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL).

Just familiarize yourself with the steps and view the video so you have an idea about what the process is like.

 

Help keep Philippine Elections clean

Philippine elections are characterized by vote-buying, intimidation, coercion, and terrorism. With many voters casting ballots with illegible handwriting and a procedure with weak security, it's easy to tamper with election results and commit fraud. Hopefully the new automated system will eliminate all of these. It also helps if voters remain vigilant, cooperative, and coordinated during Election Day. Vote wisely. Choose your candidate based on coherent platform, character, and competency. If you are still an undecided voter, make a choice now, using this guide to selecting the candidate to vote for president.

• How to resolve potential problems during election day
• Read Know your Ballot.
• Know  your Automated Election Machine.
• The Source Code
• Download and practice the ballots - sample ballot
• Comelec General Guidelines

 

Here is another video guide on how to use the new automated machine for 2010 election in the Philippines.

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

 

Lauren is the founder/co-owner of Ukay Manila and a writer for the POC’s Beauty and Fashion Channel. She keeps a beauty/fashion blog atiambourgeois.com and a personal blog at laurganism.com.

Automated Election System diagram and sample ballot used with permission from GMAnews.TV. The "How to Vote in an Automated Election System" cartoon, was done by Analyn Perez of GMANews.TV.Some Rights Reserved.

Video 1: "Quick Guide to the Automated Elections" uploaded to YouTube by ynewseditors.

Video 2: "2010 ELECTION VOTING MACHINE INFO. (Comelec Automation 2010)" uploaded to YouTube by cham191.