The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that it will release copies of the transmission logs of votes from last year’s elections to address concerns about the conduct of the 2022 polls.
A hard copy of the transmission logs will be provided to retired Col. Leonardo Odoño, who claimed that it was impossible for around 20 million votes to be transmitted to the poll body’s server in just an hour after the polls closed.
On the other hand, soft copies of the logs will be given to KBP, NAMFREL, and LENTE without them needing to request it, said Comelec Chairman George Garcia.
Last year, the results of the elections were quickly reflected on transparency servers, leading some groups to question the speed of the vote counting. Fr. Robert Reyes, one of the protesters, even described it as “a dark magical moment in Philippine history.”
Furthermore, Garcia mentioned that the poll body was able to identify the cause of the seven-hour glitch in the 2019 midterm elections and addressed it a week before the 2022 national and local elections. He added that the Comelec has since updated its system to prevent a repeat of that glitch.
The poll body also noted in the March 20 letter that transmission logs were provided to lawmakers as part of the Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Automated Election Systems and the Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting last year.
Comelec said that Odoño may pick up the document at its Intramuros headquarters on Thursday, March 23, once the request’s provisions have been approved.
Moreover, Garcia said that the commission hopes that the provision of the transmission logs will clear the controversies and said that any subsequent specific questions that you may have on the transmission logs will be answered by the commission.
Source: Inside Politico | #InsidePolitico | March 22, 2023