A recent Pulse Asia survey revealed that 87 percent of Filipinos were satisfied with the automated polling system, or the use of Vote Counting Machines, in the last elections. This is 4 percent higher than the satisfaction rating posted in the 2016 polls.
Among respondents, 91 percent said they would like to see automated voting continued in future elections, while 84 percent expressed big trust in the results. This is unsurprising as 94 percent found the vote counting machines easy to use.
Finally, 94 percent described the elections as orderly, while 83 and 82 percent noted the speed and believability of the results. In fact, more than half of the respondents, 55 percent, took less than 30 minutes to vote.
Among the problems encountered during the elections, most complained about long lines. The top reason respondents gave for not voting was their inability to go to their registered province to vote. This is followed by falling ill or having to go to work.
These reasons account for 71 percent of the answers, while 10 percent said they could not find their names in the voters’ list and 4 percent said their registration was deactivated. At the bottom of the list, only 1 percent didn’t trust the electoral system and another 1 percent couldn’t vote because the VCM machine broke down.
As the survey shows, people are generally satisfied with the conduct and outcome of the recent elections. Moreover, the satisfaction with automation is high despite doubts cast upon it. While errors occurred in May, these are opportunities to learn and grow from.
The integrity of elections is key to a legitimate government, and as far as the people are concerned, the last election was credible and sound. The reduction in electoral cheating and violence can be traced to the introduction of automated elections and is reflected in the people’s trust in the process.
Democracy Watch Philippines believes in the importance of elections and aims to ensure its integrity and credibility. We stand by the voice of the people and their trust in the electoral process. For a country riddled with patronage politics and corruption, automation has proved effective in addressing a decades old problem wholesale election cheating. The continuing economic gains of our country are directly linked to the stability of our government instituted by our credible democratic processes.