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Comelec formalizes unanimous stand versus ballot receipts


The Commission on Elections en banc on Friday made formal its unanimous stand against issuing receipt for voters, reiterating that the feature will add time and costs to the May polls.

As in 2010 and in 2013, all seven members of the poll body had voted not to enable the receipt feature of the new vote counting machines.

The poll body on Friday released its Minute Resolution No. 16-0057, dated February 3, on its unanimous decision not to allow the voter receipt printing feature of the VCMs.

The current en banc instead reconsidered its stand on onscreen verification, which will be activated on election day.

In its resolution, the en banc said the current one-day synchronized elections is "tedious and not conducive" for issuing receipts, with some 800 voters serviced by a VCM assigned in each clustered precinct.

It noted that time and motion study showed that printing the receipt alone will add 13 seconds per voter. Supposing a 75-percent turnout or 600 voters, it will add two hours and 10 minutes in each clustered precinct.

"[T]he said time and motion study did not include the additional time needed for the voter to read the print-out, correct his or her vote if needed, and reinsert the ballot into the VCM," it said.

"[It] likewise did not take into account the necessary changes to the operational flow of the election process, such as the need to replenish the thermal paper supply of the VCM or the need to reboot the same."

It added that the study "did not simulate the delay that will likely result from objections to the content of the print-out vis-a-vis one's vote," which will "inevitably cause longer queues and waiting time at the polling places."

Moreover, the Comelec en banc said enabling the feature "will likewise entail additional costs from the procurement of additional thermal paper stock and deployment of old ballot boxes to be used as receptacles for the print-outs, both of which will necessitate the conduct of further biddings."

However, Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said they are ready to follow the Supreme Court should it rule in favor of petitions lodged to overturn the Comelec's pronouncement, among them one filed by former Sen. Richard Gordon, who is seeking a fresh term in Senate in the upcoming elections.

"Siyempre, kung ano ang magiging direktiba ng Korte Suprema, susundin namin," he said. "Again, we will be very forthright, not only with the Supreme Court, but with the voting public in respect nga with the preparations."

Asked how they plan to act if the Supreme Court orders the receipt given barely two months before election day, Bautista replied, "Sa totoo lang, it's (the timeline)  very tight, but as I said, we will cross that bridge if we get there."

The poll chief said the Comelec—through the Solicitor General—would be filing its comment on the issue before the high tribunal on Friday, even after its request for a five-day extension was junked.

"Hanggang ngayon, 'yang denial na 'yan, hindi ko pa nakikita. Wala pa kaming dokumentong natatanggap tungkol diyan," he said, adding that he thought their request was "reasonable" as they received the notice near a special non-working holiday to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution.

The poll body has repeatedly said it would not be issuing the receipt to avoid vote buying and longer time at polling places.

'Change election set-up'

Bautista noted that the receipt feature should be enabled in future elections.

However, he said that electoral reform is needed to make this happen.

"I have said that publicly. I think that we should have receipts some time in the future, but we should change the election set-up," he said. "We should rethink why we only have elections for one day. We need electoral reform before we enable the feature of printing the receipts." -NB, GMA News

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