ARMM Computerized Election System Pilot Under RA 8046: How Automated Elections Began

The ARMM computerized election system pilot was authorized by Republic Act No. 8046, a law approved on June 7, 1995. Under Section 3 of R.A. 8046, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was authorized to pilot-test a computerized system for the processes of voting, counting and canvassing of votes in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) elections in March 1996. The law also required a nationwide demonstration of the system. In effect, R.A. 8046 made the ARMM the country's first large-scale testing ground for automated elections, while keeping the manual system as a fallback.

What R.A. 8046 authorized Comelec to do

Section 3 of R.A. 8046 authorized Comelec to pilot-test a computerized system, referred to in the law as the "System," for voting, counting, and canvassing in the March 1996 ARMM elections.

Section 4 required the System to use appropriate technological and electronic devices and set out its required features:

• a standalone machine with a built-in printer that can generate immediate results;
• the use of ballots;
• provisions for audit trails;
• minimum human intervention; and
• adequate safeguards and security measures.

The same section required Comelec to notify representatives of political parties and publish, in two newspapers of general circulation, the adoption and actual use of the new forms and materials not later than sixty (60) days before election.

Nationwide demonstration and procurement of equipment

R.A. 8046 did not limit the project to ARMM. Section 6 directed Comelec to conduct nationwide public demonstrations of the System and to disseminate information materials across the country so that voters, candidates, political parties, and the public could understand it.

Under Section 5, the computer equipment, devices, and materials needed for the pilot-test and the nationwide demonstrations were to be procured by Comelec from local or foreign sources, free from taxes and import duties, and subject to accounting and auditing rules such as public bidding.

How the automated system worked on election day

Section 2 of R.A. 8046 defined the key components of the System. A counting machine is a machine that uses optical scanning or mark sense reading or similar advanced technology to count ballots. A memory pack or diskette stores data, while a memory pack receiver is a dedicated machine that reads memory packs. The tape printout is an adding-machine-like tape containing the names of all candidates and the votes obtained per precinct, produced directly by the counting machine.

Voting still used paper ballots. Under Section 10, the ballot contained the titles of positions and the names of candidates arranged alphabetically by surname, with a space opposite each name for the voter to indicate a vote. Ballots carried watermarks, unique serial numbers or codes, and other security marks, and were printed exclusively by the National Printing Office and/or the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

After the close of voting, Section 13 required the Board of Election Inspectors to close, lock, and seal the ballot box and publicly announce that the votes would be counted at a designated central counting center. Section 14 required Comelec to designate the central counting center as a public place and post notice of it for at least fifteen (15) days before election day.

Under Section 15, ballots were counted by precinct in the order of their arrival, fed one at a time into the machine, and the results publicly read from the tape printout. Four copies of the results were printed and authenticated, going to the Election Officer, the majority party representative, the dominant minority party representative, and the ballot box.

Safeguards: testing, sealing, and fallback

R.A. 8046 built in several safeguards. Section 9 required that, seven (7) working days before the election, political parties and candidates or their representatives be allowed to examine and test the counting machines using sample ballots. After testing, the machines were locked and sealed by the Election Officer, with the keys placed in a sealed envelope. The machines were to be opened again only at three o'clock in the afternoon of election day, before counting began.

Section 7 provided a fallback: in the event of a system breakdown, Comelec was to revert to the existing manual system of counting and canvassing using a specially designed ballot.

Section 19 addressed conflicts in the results. If the figures in the election returns and the tape printout differed, the tape printout prevailed; if the certificate of canvass conflicted with the election returns, the election returns prevailed.

New offenses and oversight

Section 23 of R.A. 8046 created additional election offenses on top of those in Section 261 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 881. These included unauthorized use, tampering, destruction, or theft of official ballots, election returns, statements of votes, and certificates of canvass, as well as of electronic devices such as the counting machine, memory pack or diskette, memory pack receiver, tape printout, and computer set. Interfering with the installation or use of computer counting devices, and unauthorized access to or alteration of computer data or systems, were likewise penalized.

Section 21 created an Oversight Committee composed of three representatives each from the Senate, the House of Representatives, and Comelec to monitor and evaluate the law's implementation, with a report due within ninety (90) days from the date of election. Section 20 required Comelec to submit a report to both chambers after the nationwide demonstration and the ARMM pilot-test.

Frequently asked questions

When and where was the first computerized election pilot tested in the Philippines? Under Section 3 of R.A. 8046, Comelec was authorized to pilot-test a computerized election system in the March 1996 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

What did the ARMM computerized election system cover? It covered the processes of voting, counting, and canvassing of votes, using counting machines, ballots, memory packs, and a central counting center as described in R.A. 8046.

What happened if the automated system failed during the pilot? Section 7 of R.A. 8046 required Comelec to provide a procedure to revert to the existing manual system of counting and canvassing using a specially designed ballot.

Practical takeaways

• R.A. 8046, approved on June 7, 1995, authorized Comelec to pilot-test a computerized election system in the March 1996 ARMM elections.
• The law covered voting, counting, and canvassing, and also required a nationwide public demonstration of the system.
• The System required audit trails, minimum human intervention, and security safeguards, with machines tested seven working days before election day.
• A manual fallback was built in: if the system broke down, counting and canvassing would revert to the manual system.
• R.A. 8046 added new election offenses covering tampering with ballots, election documents, and automated election equipment.

Primary sources

The rules discussed above are drawn from the following primary sources, as published in the Official Gazette and the national statute book.

• REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8046 - AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS TO CONDUCT A NATIONWIDE DEMONSTRATION OF A COMPUTERIZED ELECTION SYSTEM AND PILOT-TEST IT IN THE MARCH 1996 ELECTIONS IN THE AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO (ARMM) AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES (REPUBLIC ACT No. 8046)

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