Comelec urged to release vote receipts for 2025 elections
By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA Integrated News Published March 18, 2024 5:41pm The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) on Monday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to publish the data specifications of the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) to allow observers to audit votes along with the poll body following the elections. During […]
Tomas Kauer - News Moderator 
By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO, GMA Integrated News
The National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) on Monday urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to publish the data specifications of the voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) to allow observers to audit votes along with the poll body following the elections.
During a media briefing, Namfrel chairperson Angel Averia said the VVPAT, the record of a vote, will be used for counting once the election return has been transmitted.
He said the automated counting machine (ACM) camera will scan the QR code of the VVPAT and retrieve the corresponding ballot.
“After the election return has been transmitted, payagan din ‘yung mga observers na i-scan ‘yung mga QR codes sa VVPAT for purposes of unofficial independent vote counting,” he said.
(Once the election return has been transmitted, allow the observers to scan the QR codes of the VVPAT for purposes of unofficial independent vote counting.)
Averia said that should the results of the VVPAT differ from the results of the election returns, Namfrel may raise the matter to Comelec.
This was after former Senator Leila de Lima questioned which result would prevail in case they differed.
“Kung may difference between the two counts… meron naman tayong point na pwedeng i-raise sa Comelec para siguraduhin na tama ‘yung bilang,” Averia said.
(If there is a difference between the two counts, we can raise this to the Comelec to ensure that the count is right.)
Meanwhile, Namfrel also called on Comelec to treat the VVPAT as accountable forms and consider these as the voter-verified ballot.
“Kada boto ngayon, nire-request namin na dalawa ‘yung source, so may balota ka, may VVPAT ka. Kung gawin nila accountable ‘yung VVPAT, kasama ‘yun sa security. May secondary source ka,” Namfrel national council member Fernando Contreras Jr. said.
(For each vote, we are requesting two sources, so if you have a ballot, you also have the VVPAT. If you will make the VVPAT accountable, that is an added security. You have a secondary source.)
Aside from this, they urged the inclusion of the human-readable portion of the VVPAT on the QR code. Contreras said that the VVPAT has a human-readable portion and a machine-readable portion.
Averia said Namfrel will include a feature on its App that can read the QR codes and do an independent count of the votes per precinct.
Through this, Averia said there will be an enhanced transparency of the vote count, a high degree of cote count audit, and high public confidence on the credibility of the results.
Meanwhile, Averia urged Comelec to let the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) prepare the smart cards that will be used for the elections.
“Isang issue na ina-address dito ay kung ang Comelec ay ang magpe-prepare ng smart cards, may mga pag duda na maaring sabihin na naman… na the Comelec has full control of the passwords stored in the smart card,” he said.
(One issue that this will address is if Comelec will be the one to prepare the smart cards, some will say that they have full control of the passwords stored in the smart card.)—LDF, GMA Integrated News
