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 1st 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 the history.

I’m so 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 & guarantee who you voted for will truly win?

• You will not need to count and canvass for your local & national election.  I will do it for you.  There will be room for no mistakes.
• I will limit/remove flying voters.  If a precinct has 400 registered voters, I will only accept 400 voters.
• I will not accept over voting.  This means, if you voted for 2 candidates for president, I will not count it.  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 & canvassing, we will not tire our teachers for days & 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 ofcourse.
• 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 - 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 & transmission of returns.  And no, I’m not cheap.  I only use high quality paper that lasts at least 5 years.
• Backup Battery - is there to keep me going and going for upto 16 hours.  This is just in case there is a power failure.  Voting time is between 7AM to 6PM.  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:

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

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!!! :)

Adobe Flash Player not installed or older than 9.0.115!

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