Poll automation info drive held in Mahinog

Mahinog, Camiguin – (19 Feb) Personnel of the regional office of Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Northern Mindanao have conducted here today an information drive and testing of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) to educate voters in the country’s first ever fully automated elections in May 2010.

Comelec Director Atty. Renato Magbutay said they are conducting an information caravan in five municipalities of Camiguin to ensure that voters in the island province will be properly oriented and guided on the proper procedures required by the automated system of elections during the 2010 national and local elections.

He noted that since election reports will be done through electronic transmission processes from the precinct level to municipal, provincial and national board of canvassers, voters are assured of the fast result of the elections.

"In the precinct level, votes will be counted in less than 15 minutes," he said during a forum at Mahinog gym where he explained to voters the process of election automation.

"We will know who will be our next president in less than 36 hours, unlike in the past it would take eternity to know the result of national positions," he added.

But he warned voters not to make mistakes when selecting candidates because they will only be provided with one ballot.

“Be careful in filling up your ballot because once you commit a mistake there is no way you can ask for replacement,” he said when asked what will happen if a voter commits a mistake.

He assured however that an erroneous voting in one position will not invalidate the whole ballot.

Instead of writing the name of their preferred bets, like in a manual voting, voters need only to shade the oval beside the name of the candidates listed in the ballot for the automated polls, the Comelec official said.

In Mahinog, composed of thirteen (13) barangays, there are sixteen (16) clustered precincts, each will be provided with one PCOS, Comelec said.

The public demo was attended by Representative Pedro P. Romualdo, Mayor Alex R. Jajalla, Vice Mayor Rogerio C. Acle, other local and barangay officials, local candidates, government workers, teachers, civic groups, and the general public. (Homer R. Jajalla – Mahinog IO)