MANILA, Aug. 17 (PNA) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is planning to expand the coverage of the Random Manual Audit (RMA), which is being conducted after the elections.
Under the Poll Automation Law, there shall be a random manual audit in one precinct per congressional district that shall be randomly chosen by the Commission, wherein the discovery of any difference between the automated and manual count shall initiate a manual count for those precincts affected by the computer or procedural error.
In the 2010 polls, the poll body designated five precincts per congressional district to undergo RMA and eventually found an average difference of 10 votes per candidate.
However, the number of precincts was reduced to only one per congressional legislative district in a bid to have a more stringent margin of variance in the 2013 elections.
On the other hand, the poll body is looking to designate Optical Mark Reader (OMR) machines in canvassing centers for the May 2016 elections to promote transparency of the results.
“In view of the commission’s recognition of the need to enhance the transparency and credibility of the 2016 national and local elections, the commission shall adopt measures such as providing (voting) machines at canvassing centers for purposes of contingency in case transmission fails…,” said the Comelec en banc.
Voting machines are used in the clustered polling precincts to scan the accomplished ballots, count the votes, and transmit the election returns (ERs) to canvassing centers.
The electronic results transmission service (ERTS), through public telecommunications networks, is the one used in the city/municipal, provincial, and national canvassing centers to send and receive transmitted results of voting. (PNA)