Comelec tests fingerprint voter verification system in mock polls

The Commission on Elections' new automated system to verify the identity of voters was for the first time put to the test during Saturday's mock elections, in preparation for the actual polls in May.

Instead of manually checking the Comelec voters list, members of the Board of Election Inspectors used the Voter Registration Verification Machines (VRVM), a system that lets voters do away with presenting their identification card when voting.

The Comelec tests the Voter Registration Verification Machines during Saturday's mock polls in QC. Tricia Zafra

The machine scans a voter's fingerprint to determine if a voter is registered and if he belongs to a certain precinct.

If he or she is a registered voter, the gadget will display his or her information on the screen, and only after that will he or she be given a ballot.

Information about a registered is displayed on the screen after her fingerprint was scanned on the top left part of the machine. Tricia Zafra

Registered voters whose names and information do not appear on the VRVS may still vote as long as their names are found on the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL).

Key information about the specific precinct can also be accessed through the machine, including the number of voters, and whether they have already been verified or authenticated. Tricia Zafra

— MDM, GMA News