How the counting machines will work in Eleksyon 2016

With the issuance of voting receipts ordered by the Supreme Court, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has made adjustments in the voting process for the May polls.

This includes reducing the timeout window in the onscreen verification feature to a mere second from the previous 15, and the automatic printing of the receipt afterwards.

Commissioner Christian Robert Lim, head of the steering commitee for the 2016 elections, conducted an exclusive demonstration for GMA News on Friday to show this.

It takes the VCM about 25 seconds to receive the ballot, read the markings, show the results on its screen, and print the receipt.

Lim said it depends on the voter how long he or she will fill up the ballot, and later on, read the receipt.

The step-by-step process are as follows:

1. Checking voter's identity

Upon entering the polling place (a classroom or another area as designated), the voter will approach a table by the door, where the chairman of the board of election inspectors (BEI) and the poll clerk are stationed.

Here, his or her identity will be checked using the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL), a printout of the biometrics information.

Once verified, the BEI chairman will give the voter a ballot inside a secrecy folder, plus a marker. He or she will sign the EDCVL.

2. Voter marks the ballot.

The voter heads to the seats to mark his or her ballot. Ten voters are allowed to do this simultaneously.

3. Voter casts the ballot.

Voters will feed the ballot to the vote counting machine, with the markings still hidden by the ballot secrecy folder.

The VCM will take about 10 seconds to read the votes, one second to show the results on the screen, then another 10 seconds to print the receipt.

The BEI member, who will stand behind or on the right side of the machine, will then fold the receipt to hide the results, then cut this from the machine using scissors.

The voter needs to return the folder and the marker to the BEI

In turn, the BEI will put indelible ink on the voter's fingernail, then sign the receipt.

4. Voter deposits receipt.

The voter will then head to the area inside the room where the black box for the receipts is stationed. A support staff or a volunteer from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) will be assigned to guard this.

This is where the voter may read the receipt.

If the voter has a complaint about its contents, he or she must approach the BEI chairman, who will take note of this in the minutes.

With or without discrepancies, the voter must deposit the receipt in the receptacle before leaving the polling place.

Tips for faster voting

• Check for your precinct number before heading to the polling place. You can do this online via the Comelec website, or on the computerized lists posted outside the polling place. This way, the BEI chairman and the poll clerk will know which EDCVL to look at. Note that there are four to ten precincts per cluster, so they have several lists in hand.
• Decide on who to vote for before election day. Make a list of your preferred candidates. You're allowed to bring this "kodigo" inside the polling place, to help make shading the ballot faster.
• Remember to return the folder and marker to the BEI.
• Do not read your receipt in front of the machine so you won't hold up the line. You're allowed to check the receipt in front of the receptacle. Remember: If you have a complaint, the BEI chairman will take note of it, but it will not be resolved until after election day.
• Do not take a photo of your receipt. Not even a selfie with it. 

—NB, GMA News