Software for Comelec’s election management system ready

ONE software program to be used by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for next year’s midterm elections has already been completed, in time before the release of the list of candidates this month.
On Friday, the poll body livestreamed the presentation to stakeholders and media of American voting software company Pro V&V on how the software will be assembled and executed for the upcoming 2019 elections.
The trusted build or the software program to be used to convert the source code for all equipment to be used in the 2019 elections is already done. This system is crucial for automated elections, whose components include election management system (EMS), vote counting machine (VMS), and the counting and canvassing machine (CCM).
The trusted build finished is for the EMS only. In automated elections, the EMS is used to organize preparations and materials needed for elections.
Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said that rather than make the software programs for all three components of the automated elections simultaneously, they went ahead with the EMS because the poll body will be printing the ballots very soon.
“Kapag narelease namin ang list of candidates, ready na tayo to start designing the ballots (When we release the list of candidates, we are already ready to start designing the ballots)and after the designing of ballots, ready natin imprenta ang balota (we are ready to print the ballots).”
For his part, Comelec Comissioner Marlon S. Casquejo told reporters the trusted build for the VCM and CCM will be expected in early January.
“Our timeline says we have to make that data before the end of December which is why we decided to have the EMS first.”
Comelec is set to release the names of candidates for the local and national elections next week, later than its earlier target of Dec. 15.
“This will allow pending issues related to several candidacies to be settled, without negatively impacting the final contents of the 2019 ballot,” Mr. Jimenez said in a statement to reporters on Friday. — GMC