SOME parts in Davao Region will be among the pilot areas in the country for the Voter Registration Verification Machine (VRVM) that aims to speed up the verification of a voter’s eligibility at the precinct level.
Comelec acting election officer of 1st district Davao City Nelita Gestosani said Davao City and Davao del Sur will utilize the VRVM which aims to automate the system of verifying voter registration at the polling precinc, instead of using the printed copies of Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL), before a voter is given the ballot.
"By the time the voter will enter the polling precinct, he/she will present his name to the Electoral Board (formerly Board of Election Inspectors), he/she will turn to the VRVM, wherein his biometric data will be shown," Gestosani said on Wednesday, March 20, during the Vote Counting Machine Roadshow and Voter's Education at SM City Davao Annex.
She said the machine will ease the board from the burden of determining the eligibility of the voter in the assigned precinct.
Other pilot-testing areas include Manila, Quezon City, Cavite, Pangasinan, Cebu, Negros Occidental, and Zamboanga del Sur.
Gestosani said continuous information drive on full automation of election is conducted to reduce election ballot related problems, such as overshading and overvoting. This, she said, even though most people are already aware of the voting process especially that full was already implemented in 2010.
She said ballots for this year will also be 22 to 24 inches, longer than the 17 inches in 2016, due to the number of candidates running.
The election officer said the commission will be conducting more roadshows, especially in barangay areas.
Based on the Comelec’s data, Davao City has a total of 984,604 registered voters.