Modest Suggestions, Last-Ditched Efforts to make AES Credible
From the six mentioned concerned groups, the following are some “simple suggestions” the Comelec can do to raise confidence in AES:
• Since the Comelec didn’t allow a system review of the source code by other independent groups, let them “disclose fully the report on its own system review.” What exactly are the “findings on major weaknesses” stated in the TEC report? And what are the “compensating mechanisms” for remedying it?
• Because of the unresolved verifiability issues, where you don’t know if the right election results are being transmitted or if these are the same ones being canvassed and consolidated, “install large screens in canvassing centers so voters can be able to monitor all these. These will not cost much and the Comelec still has some budget for AES left,” said the concerned election watchdogs.
Similarly, the groups urged the Comelec to “come up with mirror sites in the internet for projecting results,” and “don’t just rely on the Comelec website.” The big number of people accessing a single site might cause it to crash.
• “The Comelec has to be committed to a random manual audit, before proclaiming the winners.” There should also be clear and not arbitrary criteria for choosing where the random manual audit will be done.
• The previous mock elections held by Comelec encountered many glitches, so “conduct another reality-based mock elections, in sites reflecting various conditions in the country, and with more voters (than those in mock elections)”
• The revised general instructions for BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors) removed the digital signatures required by AES law. “To Comelec, be true to what the law required— that the transmitted results should be digitally signed.”
Call to Harness People Power and Unity
Unless proper safeguards are used to plug the vulnerabilities of AES “especially its internal security systems,” unless mechanisms are put in place to verify votes, clear instructions for legal adjudication and address “imminent power and transmission failures,” and unless the Comelec finally addresses its “lack of transparency in involving and dealing with independent citizens’ groups over their valid election-related concerns,” the May 10 election could fail, said the six concerned groups.
Although the Comelec is saying that there would be no failure of elections if the people come out to vote on May 10, these groups argued that if the votes are not properly counted, the elections would be in vain and would be a failure.
As such, the six concerned watchdogs and organizations called on the Filipino people to “Prepare for all contingency, for the voters to guard their votes against all attempts to disenfranchise them through fraud and violence, and to support all initiatives by independent citizens’ groups to help achieve credible elections and ensure the peaceful transition of power on May 10 this year.” (Bulatlat.com)
