Manual polls for absentee voting

Published on Sun.Star Network Online
(http://www.sunstar.com.ph)
Thursday, June 4, 2009

COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo on Thursday said the elections for overseas absentee voting (OAV) would still be manual citing the disperse number of Filipinos in other countries.

“It’s possible that manual polls would be implemented since there is no solid number of Filipinos in one country or state,” he explained.

Melo, however, said that automated polls could be possible in areas where there could be assured of good voters turnout, citing Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer, head of the OAV committee, is optimistic that they could still meet the target number of OAV registrants which is at one million.

He cited the habit of Filipinos of trooping to registration days before the deadline, which is on August 31, 2009.

“We are expecting that many Filipinos would register days before the deadline,” he said.

Records of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) showed that there are 90,000 new OAV registrants.

Ferrer noted that providing precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines for the OAV elections is not part of the terms of reference of the just concluded bidding process, where Smartmatic/Total Information Management is likely to get the P11.3 billion automation contract.

He said to automate the OAV polls, they need to meet and discuss it with the supposed supplier, after the contract is awarded.

“We will discuss it with the winning bidders once the contract has been awarded. The initial suggestion of the committee on overseas absentee voting that since the number of voters is not uniform, we should concentrate on certain places, their initial suggestion is to hold it (automation) in Hong Kong,” he said.

OAV voters are composed of Filipinos working abroad and immigrants. They will be allowed to vote, one month ahead of the scheduled May 10, 2010, the casting of the votes will end at 3 p.m. of May 10. (FP/Sunnex)

Source URL: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/manual-polls-absentee-voting