Establishing relationship with Commission on Elections Important

I think that tying voter education to training workshops for the VoteReportPH platform is a very smart tactic. We have seen many instances already of Ushahidi installations meant to crowdsource reports of voting irregularities, but almost never to those projects attract the participation of just a few dedicated volunteers or non-profit staff. VoteReportPH distinguishes itself by investing so much time in organizing workshops to walk citizens through the steps of how to report an instance of voting irregularity. Hopefully each of those trainees will also train their networks of friends and co-workers.

However, in order for this project to truly bring about electoral accountability and a verified electoral process its leaders must meet with leaders from COMELEC, the Philippines Commission on Elections, to develop a published framework for how COMELEC will respond to reports of voting irregularities. There should be a framework made accessible on the website which details how VoteReportPH will verify and investigate reports of voting fraud, intimidation, etc. Then, once VoteReportPH has verified a report, it should be sent to COMELEC for further investigation. But beyond just investigation, COMELEC should agree to a set of processes to how they will respond to reports and what sanctions are in place to ensure that the elections are credible.

Speaking of processes, I would recommend taking a look at how Venezuela's National Election Council ensure voting transparency (despite instances of machine failures) in their 2007 referendum vote.

Great work VoteReportPH! We'll be keeping our eyes on your website during the Philippine election!

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