Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — The Commission on Election (Comelec) said it plans to decide on Tuesday (August 11) on what technology to use in next year’s national elections.
The poll body will need 100,000 vote-counting machines. If the negotiations work out, Comelec will lease 23,000 new units from Smartmatic. The rest will either be 81,896 refurbished machines from past elections or another set of 70,977 new ones for lease, which will also come from Smartmatic.
If the government chooses to use the old machines, it would save up to P4 billion.
Each of the 82,000 units, however, need to be checked, have some parts replaced, and have their software upgraded — a process that could take six months — and the Comelec wants the machines to be ready in five month’s time.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said that the poll body will buckle down on Tuesday in the hopes of coming up with a final decision.
He added that the goal is to automate the 2016 polls.
“You realize how important automation really is. Automation has become, I think, tied up with the concept of credibility,” he said.
Chairman Andres Bautista has been mum on which option Comelec is likely to pick, but sure is confident that the 2016 elections will still be automated.
