A Brief History of Automated Elections in the Philippines

As we prepare for the 2022 National and Local Elections, which are Presidential elections, by the way, I’ve often given thought to the history of automation in our country. We’ve had automated elections for four elections now, starting with the 2010 National and Local Elections. It’s not insignificant that two of those elections were Presidential, with both winning Presidents enjoying irrefutable mandates. Nor is it insignificant that, the one of the country’s most respected survey firms tracked the increase in the public acceptability of elections, coinciding with the introduction of automation in 2010.

To say that automation boosted the people’s confidence in the outcome of elections hardly seems like an overstatement, given these stats. So I thought now would not be a bad time to review the history of automation in the Philippines.