(SPOT.ph) In response to a petition filed by former senator Richard Gordon, the Supreme Court ordered the Commission on Elections on Tuesday, March 8 to issue receipts to voters after casting their ballots on election day. According to a report on Inquirer.net, the Supreme Court (SC) also told the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to ensure that after voter verification “receipts should be deposited in a separate ballot box and not taken out of the precinct.”
Gordon’s petition is a move that enforces the Automated Election Law, which requires the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail as a major security feature of the vote-counting machines. The former senator said that the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) permits voters to verify if the vote-counting machines cast the voter's choices correctly.
To address concerns regarding vote buying, the COMELEC announced on March 4 their decision against issue voting receipts, opting to activate the onscreen verification on the machines instead. However, as of the March 8 ruling, the SC unanimously ruled to activate the vote verification feature of the machines and print the receipts.
Photo from Inquirer.net.