My So-Called 2010 Automated Election Experience

I envy those who were able to vote and get that transmittal receipt bearing the word “Congratulations!”  after  having their ballots validated by the PCOS machine.  I never get to experience this because the PCOS machine in the precinct I was a registered voter was broke.  From the news I’ve gathered via the online 2010 election coverage via #juanvote #eleksyon2010 #halalan2010 #purplethumb the most common problem for this first automated election in the Philippines is the broken PCOS machines.

All ballots were place in a big black unsecured box.  When I asked the Comelec/BEI personel, whom I personally know, if those ballots are safe, she answered “Oo safe yan, maraming namang poll watchers eh. (Yes they are safe, there are lots of poll watchers on the look-out anyway).”

That black box is where the ballots with casts votes are placed.  I have the reason to worry right?

This is our useless PCOS machine, and the government paid Php200,000 for nothing?

Seriously I feel my ballot was  not secured, I am not confident of the result of this so-called automated election. Personally, in my assessment, the first automated election in the Philippines is a complete failure. The high-tech voting experience I was expecting was not there, all I see were failure, failure of organizing the voting precinct, a failure of checking the effectiveness of the PCOS machine, and not enough time to have a real dry-run when these failure are experienced.

Before voting

I armed my self with all the things I will need to make my automated voting experience less inconvenient.  I have my voters information card, valid ID,  a bottle of water, a hand fan, candies, money and cellphone in a sling bag.   I wore a white shirt, jeans and my Havianas flip-flop.  My mom reminded me that I should give a minimum of 2 hours to exercise my right to vote.   Two hours is long but then again I want to experience how it feels to vote on  an automated election.

Finding my precinct

At first I was lost, there were no signs or number of precinct numbers unlike the past elections.   It was the PCOS number that you have to find or your cluster number .  If you don’t know what your PCOS machine number is then you should ask PPCRV volunteers and line-up at the COMELEC computer boot to find yours.  Luckily I have my voters information card bearing my precinct number and cluster number.

Finding my name was a breeze,  the difficult part was waiting in line.

I find the “new” system of having a holding area and the actual voting area separate.  The holding area is where a voter will get a number for his turn to get a ballot and vote.  After getting a number you have to go to another line to actually vote.  This process took me 3 hours before I was able to vote.

Defective/ non-functional PCOS machine

The PCOS machine, PCOS 271 was broke since the first hour of voting.  The ballots with casts votes are placed in an unsecured black box.

I was able to take photos while waiting in line and while voting and they said camera phones are not allowed. This just proves how we have laws but nobody is there to implement it.  I brought my camera ready phone just to see if someone will apprehend me while using it.  But nobody did.

The official automated election ballot  that I never got to shoot in the PCOS machine and the Smartmatic marker.

After 3 hours of waiting I was able to casts my votes but I am really worried if my vote and all others who voted at precinct 1014A cluster 271 will be counted right since our PCOS machine was broke and our ballots are dropped and stashed in an unsecured black box.

A voter placing her finished ballot at an unsecured box

2010 automated election photos

My inked finger, proves that I exercised my right to vote!