Delay looms in counting of 3M votes

By Marie Surbano (The Daily Tribune)
Link: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100507hed5.html

A delay in the count of over 3 million votes is likely should the consortium of Smartmatic and Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) fail to deliver on time the compact flash cards for about five percent of areas considered as far flung or risky.
 

This was admitted yesterday by Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Jose Melo who said the supplier of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines may deliver the CF cards to five percent of the total vote precincts not on election day itself but at best the next day or May 11.

“Only 5 percent ‘may’ not get the flash cards with the testing. This may be done on the day of the elections itself. Five percent of the 76,000 may not have their cards attached and tested by Saturday and Sunday. And the rest will be there on Sunday itself for the testing,” Melo told reporters at a news briefing.

Cesar Flores, Smartmatic president for Asia Pacific, said the 5 percent CF cards that would not be delivered on time concerns security issues.

Poll machines pass 2nd round of tests

By Mayen Jaymalin (The Philippine Star)
Link:http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=573031&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - Automated elections nationwide will be held as scheduled on Monday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said yesterday with renewed optimism after the machines passed a second round of tests.

Comelec Chairman Jose Melo said compact flash cards will be distributed by Saturday to 95 percent of the clustered precincts throughout the country.

“In case there would be precincts in very, very remote areas without compact flash cards or if they do not arrive on time, voters will still go and vote, and their ballots will be deposited in ballot boxes and, on election day itself or the day after the flash cards arrive and (are) tested, the ballots will then be fed for counting,” he said.

Results of testing of PCOS machines, particularly in Metro Manila, showed a 100 percent match of manual and machine counting of votes, he added.

Melo said manual counting of votes would be held only in small municipalities, in case a machine would malfunction and a spare one is not immediately available.