Orientation for Pollwatchers Automated Elections

1. WELCOME!

2. I. Registration
II. Opening/Introduction
III. Voters Education
IV. Mock Voting
V. Pollwatchers Guide (Legal Matters)
VI. Open Forum
VII. Administrative Matters
VIII. Raffle

3. (2010 NATIONAL ELECTIONS )

4. Under Sec. 15, Article II of COMELEC
Resolution 8786 Promulgated on March 4,
2010, each candidate and registered
political party or coalition of political parties
duly registered with the Commission and
fielding candidates in the election as well as
duly accredited citizens arm may appoint
two watchers to serve alternately. However,
candidates for senator and sanggunian
belonging to the same ticket or slate shall

5. A. QUALIFICATION OF WATCHERS
Is a registered voter of the city or
municipality comprising the precinct
where he is assigned;
Is of good reputation;
Has not been convicted by final
judgement of any election offence or of
any other crime;

6. A. QUALIFICATION OF WATCHERS
Knows how to read and write Filipino,
English or of the prevailing local
dialect; and
Is not related within the fourth civil
degree of consanguinity or affinity to
the chairman or to any other member
of the BEI in the polling place where

7. B. GUIDES IN THE CHOICE OF WATCHERS
 While the law does not require a watcher to be a registered
voter of the barangay where he/she may serve, it is crucial
that he/she is assigned to a barangay where he/she is
actually a resident for the following reasons:
a) The watcher can efficiently review the Certified Voters
List and identify discrepancies in it such as the
retention of names of deceased persons, voters who
have long transferred residence and have already
registered in other precincts, and those suffering from
certain disqualifications.

8. B. GUIDES IN THE CHOICE OF WATCHERS
b) The watcher’s familiarity with the residents of the
barangay puts him or her in a better position to
detect and challenge illegal voters who may offer
to vote but are not registered there, are using the
name of another person, or suffering from certain
disqualifications.
c) The watcher’s proximity to the polling place where
he or she is assigned is important as he or she has
to be at the polling place on election day before

9. C. RIGHTS OF WATCHERS
Upon entering the polling place, the watchers shall deliver to
the Chairman their appointment as watchers and their names shall
forthwith recorded in the minutes.
The watcher shall have the right to:
1) Witness and inform themselves of the proceedings of BEI;
2) Take note of what they may see or hear;
3) Take Photographs of the proceedings and incidents, if any,
during the voting, counting of votes, as well as of the generated
election returns and of the ballot boxes;

10. C. RIGHTS OF WATCHERS
4) File a protest against irregularity or violation of
law which they believe may have been committed
by the BEI or by any of its members or by any
person;
5) Obtain from BEI a certificate as to the filing of
such protest and the resolution thereof; and
6) Watchers shall not speak to any member of the
BEI, or to any voter or among themselves in such
a manner as would disturb the proceeding of the

11. PREPARATION OF POLL WATCHERS KIT
The pollwatching kit is an important weapon of
the pollwatcher. The absence of a complete
pollwatching kit can significantly diminish his or her
efficiency. This is often referred to as the
frontliner’s survival kit on the day of the elections. It
contains the materials, forms, identification cards
and papers and other documents that the
pollwatcher would need in the performance of his
or her tasks.

12. POLL WATCHERS KIT
1. The pollwatcher’s written authorization or
appointment as pollwatcher (two copies, i.e,
one for the BEI and the other to be retained
by the pollwatcher);
2. Authority to receive the Election Returns
3. The pollwatcher’s IDs (one issued by the
party and the other issued by the Comelec);

13. POLLWATCHERS KIT
4. Copy of Posted Computerized Voters List
(PCVL) and Election day Computerized
Voters List (EDCVL) List of Voters with
voting records.
5. Inventory Sheet;
6. Certificate of Challenge or Protest and
Decision of the BEI
7. Paper or Notebook;

14. POLLWATCHERS KIT
8. Forms of the Certificate of Votes;
9. Pollwatchers Guide Handout
10. Election Report
11. Flashlight with batteries
12. Calculator, if available
13. Camera, if available

15. INVENTORY SHEET
The Inventory Sheet referred to in No. 5 is a form that will
be filled up by the pollwatcher with the following information:
Barangay
 Precinct number
Names of the chairman and two members of the BEI;
Number of the pads of ballots;
Serial Numbers of the official ballot
Number of registered voters in the precinct;
Number of those who actually voted;

16. E. PHASES OF POLL WATCHING
The tasks and responsibilities of
pollwatchers on the day of the
elections may be divided into two
phases, namely: a) before the voting
starts; b) during the voting

17. Pre-Testing and Sealing of the
PCOS Machine
1. Know the schedule of the Comelec for
the pre-testing and sealing of the PCOS
Machine in their precinct.
2. Pollwatchers must be present during the
pre-testing and sealing of the PCOS
machine

18. 3. Participate in the pre-test and make sure
that:
 The PCOS machine is properly working
 The machine can read, scan,
consolidate and transmit the results
 The electronic count result of the PCOS
machine should match with the manual
count results

19.  Should watch the PCOS machine until
its opening on the election day
 The main memory card of the PCOS
machine has a serial number and must
make note of the serial number. If the
main memory card has no serial number,
must request that the main memory card
must be labeled with the precinct #, poll
center#, brgy, city, province

20. Pre-Election Day
Be duly accredited and designated as poll
watcher of the party.
Poll watchers accredited must meet the
qualifications required by law.
Have read and understood the
pollwatchers guidelines and has attended
the seminars for poll watchers.

21. Pre-Election Day
Have the contact numbers of the networks
head in the area, the numbers of the
lawyers and paralegals assigned in the
area.
Must know the assigned precinct.
Must visit and inspect the precinct site for
familiarity.

22. Pre-Election Day
Must know the composition of BEI and the
background.
Must attend the pre-testing and sealing of
the PCOS machine in the assigned
precinct/clustered precinct.
Must know the other poll watchers and
supporters assigned in the same precinct.

23. Before Opening of the Precinct
Be at the assigned precinct at least two
hours from the opening of the precinct and
inspect the surrounding of the precinct .
Bring water and food and other
necessities for the whole day.
Bring notebook/paper and pen to make
notes on what is going on within and
outside the precinct and for making notes

24. Before Opening of the Precinct
Bring celfone or camera for
communication and recording of incidents
Must bring the pollwatcher’s kit
Must wear green shirt and official
watcher’s ID
Assist in the bringing of “our” voters early
in the morning

25. Before Opening of the Precinct
Must assist the voters in looking for their
names and corresponding number in the
PCVL list posted outside the precinct.
Assist in giving sample ballots or some
form of “kodigo”

26. Upon Opening of the Precinct
Must register with BEI before the start of
the voting proper
Must be familiar right away in the layout of
the precinct
Must be familiar with names and faces of
the pollwatchers of the other parties
assigned in the same precinct

27. Upon Opening of the Precinct
When the PCOS Machine is being
unsealed, must make sure that the seal
was not broken and resealed.
The ballot box is empty
The package of official ballot and book of
voters are sealed

28. Upon Opening of the Precinct
 When the BEI activates the PCOS Machine, the
first print out report is the “zero report” which the
pollwatcher must see that all candidates have
“O” counts at the right side of their names and
signs the zero report
 Must watch every step as the BEI activates the
PCOS Machine. Only the BEI can activate the
PCOS Machine. No one else. Not even the
Smartmatic Technician.

29. Voting Proper
Rules to be observed during the voting
 Voters shall vote in the order of their arrival in the
polling place;
 No watcher shall enter the place reserved for the
voters and the BEI, nor mingle and talk with the
voters;
 No person carrying any firearm or any other
deadly weapon, except those expressly
authorized by the Commission, shall enter the

30. Voting Proper
 There shall be no crowding of voters and
disorderly behaviour inside the polling place; and
 The ballot box shall remain locked during voting
 Report to the BEI any signs of delaying tactics of
voters inside the precincts so as to prevent other
voters outside to cast their votes during the
voting time.
 Be alert in making protest to the BEI on the
grounds of illegal composition of the BEI, or any
signs of illegal proceedings, or any violations of

31. WHAT TO PROTEST
 Illegal composition of the BEI or BOC
 Illegal proceedings

32. ILLEGAL COMPOSITION OF THE BEI OR BOC :
If-
 BEI Member is not qualified under Comelec
Resolution 8739
 Conflict of interest due to a candidate/spouse

33. ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS: If-
 Voter not registered in the precinct is allowed to
vote.
 Voter who voted already is allowed to vote again
 If the Smartmatic Technician--
Is not officially designated by the Commission
Is not officially assigned to the particular
precinct

34. Is not summoned by the BEI Chairman to
make any repair on the PCOS in the event that
the machine does not work properly, yet the
technician on his own touches or repairs the
PCOS Machine
Does not repair the PCOS Machine as
instructed

35. ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS: If—
 Other grounds that might be irregular/unusual
committed by the BEI or any person within the
precinct
Pollwatchers must consult anytime the lawyer
assigned, or paralegals, or network heads
Must secure a certificate from the BEI of the
protest made/filed and give to the lawyer or
network heads

36. END OF THE VOTING PROPER
 Watch as the BEI initiates the closing function of the
PCOS Machine
 Watch as the PCOS machine starts to count and
consolidate the results
 Only during the transmission of the election results
should the transmission cable be attached to the
PCOS machine. During the printing of the election
results, the transmission cable should not be
attached to the PCOS machine
 The printing of the 8 copies of the election results

37.  Must secure a copy of the election results from
the BEI and give it to the network head
 Make sure that the PCOS Machine is completely
shut down by the BEI after printing (8and 22
copies) and the electronic transmission of the
election results, then surrenders the PCOS
Machine to the technician assigned to the
precinct
 Must make sure that the ballot box is sealed and
secure, and accompany its delivery to the city
treasurer

38. NOTE:
At any point during the day, if the
pollwatcher leaves his post, he must have
a reliever. No pollwatcher post must be
vacated or left without a pollwatcher

39. c.) Manner of Voting
Voting shall be conducted in the following
manner:
1. The voter shall, using a ballot secrecy folder
and the marking pen provided by the
COMELEC, fill his ballot by fully shading the
oval beside the names of the candidates and
political party participating in the party list
system of representation of his choice;

40. c.) Manner of Voting
2. The voter shall then approach the PCOS,
insert his ballot in the ballot entry slot and
wait until message “CONGRATULATIONS.
YOUR VOTE HAS BEEN REGISTERED.”
APPEARS ON SCREEN. The BEI shall
monitor the PCOS screen to make sure that
the ballot was successfully accepted.
Thereafter, the voter shall return the ballot
secrecy folder and marking pen to the

41. c.) Manner of Voting
3. The BEI shall apply indelible ink at the base
and extending to the cuticle of the right
forefinger nail of the voter, or any other nail
if there be no forefinger nail;
4. The voter shall affix his thumbmark on the
corresponding space in the EDCVL; and

42. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure
Ballots may be rejected by the PCOS during scanning.
There will be three (3) different types of messages when
the PCOS rejects a ballot. For each message, the BEI shall
observe the following procedures;
1) “AMBIGUOUS MARK”
Let the voter review his ballot and ensure that the
ovals opposite the names of candidate/party voted for are
fully shaded.
2) “MISREAD BALLOT”
Let the voter re-feed the ballot in 4 different

43. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure
3) “INVALID BALLOT
I. Verify if the ballot belong to the precinct. If
the ballot belong to another precinct, the voter
shall return the ballot to the chairman who
shall proceed to Step 4 and 5 hereof;
II. If the ballot belongs to the precinct, let the
voter refeed the ballot in 4 different

44. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure
4) In all cases, if the PCOS rejects a ballot, the
voter shall return the ballot to the Chairman
who shall:
I. Distinctly mark the back thereof as
“REJECTED”
II. Require all members of the BEI to sign at
the back thereof, and place inside the
Envelope for Rejected Ballots

45. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure
5) No replacement ballot shall be
issued to a voter whose ballot is
rejected by the PCOS;
6) Any party objecting to the rejection
of the ballot shall reduce his
objection in writing, which the BEI
shall attach and note in the Minutes.

46. Other Notes
ON BALLOT:
 One ballot – One voter policy.
 The voter must no make any marks, or erasures
on the ballot or must not commit any mistake in
shading or in the choice of candidates.
 No over-voting. It will invalidate the segment with
the over-voting.
 The ballot is bar-coded, color- coded, and
number-coded.

47. ON PCOS MACHINE:
 The PCOS Machine rejects previously scanned
ballots, fake ballots, marked ballots or authentic
ballots but not configured for the specific
precinct.
 Voter is allowed 4 tries to insert his ballot on the
PCOS. If it still fails, either the ballot is marked or
the PCOS Machine is not working properly.
 If the PCOS Machine is not working properly,
these are the steps

48. Steps:
Request for replacement of the PCOS
Machine by a back-up PCOS Machine.
If no back-up PCOS Machine, the current
PCOS Machine will be repaired by the
assigned technician upon instruction of the
BEI.
If cannot be repaired, wait for the PCOS
Machine of the nearest precinct and have it
reconfigured.

49. ON MAXIMUM NO. OF VOTERS IN
CLUSTERED PRECINT
The number of voters in a
precinct/clustered precinct should not
exceed 1,000 voters.

50. e) Prohibition on voting
It shall be unlawful for a voter to:
1. Bring the ballot, ballot secrecy folder or
marking pen outside of the polling place;
2. Speak with anyone other than as herein
provided while inside the polling place;
3. Prepare his ballot without using the ballot
secrecy folder or exhibit its contents;
4. Fill his ballot accompanied by another, except
in the case of an illiterate or person with

51. e) Prohibition on voting
5. Erase any printing from the ballot, or put any
distinguishing mark on the ballot;
6. Use carbon paper, paraffin paper or other
means of making a copy of the contents of the
ballot, or other wise make use of any other
scheme to identify his vote, including the use of
digital cameras, cellular phones with camera or
similar gadgets; and
7. Intentionally tear or deface the ballot.

52. g) Challenge against illegal voters
Any voter or watcher may challenge any
person offering to vote for:
1. Not being registered;
2. Using the name of another; or
3. Suffering from an existing
disqualification.

53. In such cases, the BEI shall satisfy itself as
to whether or not the ground for the challenge is
true by requiring proof of registration, identity or
disqualification. The BEI shall identify the voter
through his photograph, fingerprint, or specimen
signatures in the VRR or EDCVL. In the absence
of any of the above-mentioned proof of identity,
any member of the BEI may identify under oath a
voter, and such act shall be reflected in the
Minutes.

54. h) Challenge based on certain illegal acts
Any voter or watcher may challenge any voter
offering to vote on the ground that he:
1. Received or expects to receive, paid, offered or
promised to pay, contributed, offered or
promised to contribute money or anything of
value as consideration for his vote or for the
vote of another; or
2. Made or received a promise to influence the
giving or withholding of any such vote; or
3. Made a bet or is interested directly or indirectly

55. h) Challenge based on certain illegal acts
In such case, the challenged voter shall take
an oath before the BEI that he has not committed
any of the acts alleged in the challenge. Upon
taking such oath, the challenge shall be
dismissed and the voter shall be allowed to vote.
In case the voter refuses to take oath, the
challenge shall be sustained and the voter shall
not be allowed to vote.

57. The Structure
HEADQUARTERS
BRGY. CAPTAIN /
LEADER
CLUSTER
HEAD
CLUSTER
AID
CLUSTER
AID
Runner Runner Runner Runner Runner Runner

58. Roles & Responsibilities
Cluster Head (CH)
 Spearheads the cluster team
 Secures the pollwatchers kit
 Submits Watchers Appointment to the BEI
 Oversees the whole voting procedure
 Secures the Election Returns for submission to the
Headquarters thru the BC/L
 Initiates the filing of protest (when needed)
 Reports/ communicates to the Headquarters updates

59. Roles & Responsiblities
Cluster Aids (CA)
 Assist the Cluster Head in overseeing all
procedures inside the precinct
 Document/ take pictures of anomalous
incidents inside the precinct
 CH & CA must participate in the pre-testing
of PCOS

60. Roles & Responsibilities
Runners (Rnr)
Should be visible in the vicinity of the polling precinct to:
 Identify voters and guide them to their polling precinct
 Assist voters locate their names in the voters list
 Provide information on the automated voting
procedure
 Provide sample ballots
 Traffic/guide voters to fall in line and to maintain order
 Document and Report to the CH or CA anomalous

61. Administrative Matters
TIME OF DUTY
 All poll watchers should be at the polling place
before 6:00 am. The Runners may be dismissed at
the close of polling precincts at 6:00pm.
 The CH and CA shall stay at the polling precincts
until the Election Returns is secured. They shall also
accompany the BEI & the ballots until these are
officially turned over to the City Board of Canvassers
at the City Hall.
 The Brgy. Captains/Leaders will be responsible for

62. Administrative Concerns
THE POLLWATCHERS KIT
 There will be one pollwatchers kit per cluster.
 The Cluster Head shall pick up the kit from the Brgy.
Captains/leaders the day before election day (or on
May 9, 2010) who shall check for its contents and
ensure that all forms and materials needed are
complete.
 The Cluster Head shall also be responsible in
returning the kit to the Brgy. Captains/Leaders and

63. The Pollwatcher’s Kit
Additional Contents:
 Headquarter’s Telephone Directory
 Acknowledgement Receipt to be signed upon
receipt & return of the kit
 Pollwatchers Guide

64. Important Items to Bring
 The CH & CA should bring inside the
precinct at least one (1) cellphone with camera
(w/ battery full) to document significant
incidents in the precinct. The CH’s cel number
indicated in his/her biodata submitted will be
the official  Packedco mnetaaclst naunmd bderirn okfs the cluster.
 Medicine for LBM or headache

65. Compensation
 Each pollwatcher will be well-compensated.
 The compensation package will be placed in
a sealed and signed envelope with the
pollwatcher’s name. Compensation includes
 The envelopes will be released through the
Brgy. Captain/Leader at the end of the day of

66. Reminders
Each pollwatcher will get either a free shirt or cap to be
worn on election day to be easily identified.
These will be distributed through the Brgy.
Captains/leaders together with the PW Kit.
ID’s should be worn at all times during the voting
period.

67. Reminders
We represent the candidates/party that
we protect.
Be vigilant.
Be assertive.
But remain courteous, cool and
calm at all times.