The 2010 Philippine National Elections: Perception and Reality
Pauline Eadie · European Journal of East Asian Studies · 2013
The newly automated 2010 national elections in the Philippines were widely reported, nationally and internationally, as ‘successful.’ This article argues that this assessment is simplistic and requires qualification. Automation did little to counter cheating at the retail level. Troubling questions also linger over the robustness of the automated system against wholesale sabotage. There was significant disagreement over whether the elections could be judged a success by various interested parties and the degree to which the automated system could be trusted. The reasons for this will be examined here. In conclusion it is argued that automated elections are not a panacea for electoral cheating and those who are inclined to cheat in manual elections will also find ways to cheat automation.