|
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Comelec conducts Armm mock polls
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will conduct a mock elections Tuesday to orient the voters on how to vote in the August 11 automated polls in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm).
"The idea is for the voters to see and understand the system so that they will be able to vote on the day of the election," Comelec information officer James Jimenez said Monday.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
Jimenez said they are utilizing 25 percent of the machines that were purchased to be used in the August 11 Armm automated elections since the rest of the units are kept in a well-secured place in Manila.
Aside from voting, he said there will be canvassing, including transmission of results, to the Comelec central office to test the system.
The Comelec is using the Data Recording Electronic (DRE) system in the province of Maguindanao while the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) method will be used in the provinces of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Shariff Kabunsuan.
The DRE system uses touch-screen or touch-pad technology. The OMR method, on the other hand, requires voters to fill out a paper ballot and scanned by the machine for authentication.
According to Jimenez, they will accommodate at least 50 voters in each of the designated polling stations in Tuesday's mock elections.
He also said they have established polling centers in all of the provinces in the Armm intended for the mock elections where voters will cast their votes.
Comelec will be using fictitious names of candidates to avoid being accused of conducting poll survey in the guise of conducting mock elections, said Jimenez.
The ballots carry the names of known Hollywood stars and other foreign actors.
Jimenez said the Comelec would not spend a single centavo in the conduct of the mock polls since it is part of the more than P700-million contract price in the purchase of the machines.
The mock election is a preview of the August 11 automated elections and is also part of Comelec's confidence-building measures, said Jimenez.
"It is very important for us to do it so that the public will see the system. On election day they will not be surprised, wonder, and think that the voting was rig," he said. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (July 22, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
P75T worth of drugs sold in outlets expired