Automated polls promising, says Gordon
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:47:00 08/15/2008
Filed Under: Elections, Computing & Information Technology, Science & Technology
MANILA, Philippines -- One of the main proponents of automated elections has expressed elation over the results of the computerized elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), saying the experience has shown the country can hold automated elections “even in the most difficult circumstances.”
“What I saw was not just encouraging. There was enthusiasm among the voters in the automation of the ARMM elections,” said Sen. Richard Gordon, one of the main authors of the automated election law.
While two different technologies were used in the Aug. 11 elections -- the direct recording electronic (DRE) system and the optical media reader (OMR) c -- it was clear which of the two formats proved superior.
“With DRE, the entire process is fast and the results come out fast too. So the losers will feel less pain as they await the results,” Gordon said. He expressed preference for the DRE system, which he said will be the best technology to use in the 2010 national elections.
“The ARMM experience definitely proves that we can hold successful automated elections even in the most difficult circumstances, with less than three months of preparation,” he said.
In a statement, he said the DRE system “saved us from having too many hands intervening in handling ballots. Since votes are electronically transmitted, there is no human intervention in the counting and canvassing of votes.”
|
