Smartmatic provided technology and services for the 2013 Philippine midterm elections, including voting machines, tallying servers, memory cards, and network infrastructure. They operated a National Support Center that monitored the election process and provided remote technical support. The elections saw over 766 million votes cast to elect over 18,000 positions within 10 hours. Observers and officials praised the elections for their efficiency and transparency.

2. The Philippines: Midterm Elections 2013 2
Smartmatic in the Philippines 4
General characteristics of the project 5
Scope 5
Technology 5
Services 6
What others said about the elections 7
Related news 8
About Smartmatic 15
Table of contents

3. The Philippines: Midterm Elections 2013
On May 13, the 2013 Midterm Elections were held in the Philippines. These elections are called
such because the officials elected will be sworn midway the term of the current president.
Filipino voters elected 12 Senators, 229 district members of the House of Representatives,
80 Provincial Governors, 80 Provincial Vice Governors, 766 members of the Provincial Legislature,
138 City Mayors, 138 City Vice Mayors, 1,532 members of the City Council, 1,496 Municipal
Mayors, 1,496 Municipal Vice Mayors, and 11,972 members of the Municipal Council.
In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), one Regional Governor, one Regional
Vice Governor, and 24 Regional Assemblymen were elected. In addition, party lists were also
present in the contests.
In only 10 hours, 766,672,141 votes were cast in the Philippines to elect 18,022 national and
local positions.
President S. Aquino marks his paper ballot (ABS-CBNnews)
President S. Aquino introduces the marked ballot in the machine (ABS-CBNnews)

4. Ex First Lady and member of the House of Representatives, Imelda Marcos, casts her vote in Ilocos Norte (ABS-CBNnews)
Vice president Jejomar Binay votes in Makati (ABS-CBNnews)
Phillipine boxing icon and Sarangani representative, Manny Pacquiao, casts his ballot (ABS-CBNnews)

5. Smartmatic in the Philippines
Following the successful May 2010 General Elections, the Republic of the Philippines was set
to conduct another massive automated election project – the Midterm Elections of May 2013.
Once again, Smartmatic played a vital role in a Philippine election by providing technology
and services to contribute with the overall efficiency and transparency of the process.
In 2012 the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) purchased from Smartmatic the 82,000
voting machines that leased and used to great success in 2010. Those same machines, were
deployed in most of the 7,000 islands comprising the archipelago nation for the midterm
elections. In only 10 hours, 766,672,141 votes were cast to elect 18,022 national and local posts.
Smartmatic was contracted to set up and run the National Support Center (NSC), which is
the country-wide headquarters mandated to render technical assistance to each component
of the elections. The NSC featured a 600-seat call center and was powered by Smartmatic’s
proprietary E-Day Monitor, which was crucial to the smooth and well-coordinated end-to-end
execution of the 2013 Philippine elections.
Smartmatic also supplied the compact flash cards for the voting machines, and the modems
to transmit data from precincts to tallying centers.

6. Scope
The electoral platform used had the following extent:
80,916 voting machines deployed over 7,000 islands.
1,684 totalization and consolidation servers and printers.
164,400 compact flash memory cards for secure storage of election data.
Over 36,000 schools functioned as voting centers, all of which were first surveyed with
state-of-the-art equipment to determine quality of network signals, power availability,
and other logistical concerns.
600 tech support agents located in the National Support Center during Election Day for
monitoring the entire process and for remote support to the technicians in the field.
48,000 modems and 46,000 SIM cards used for direct transmission of election returns.
5,000 mobile satellite antennas (BGAN) and 680 VSATs deployed nationwide for transmission
of results in the polling and totalization centers with little or no cellular coverage.
2 Data Centers created to backup nationwide results with redundancy capabilities.
5,853 spare machines for contingencies.
Technology
What follows are descriptions of the technologies that were used in the process:
E-Day Monitor: Our solution to manage all logistical operations in real time, from resource
planning, dispatch of electoral materials and incident reporting to technical support. E-Day
Monitor integrates call centers seamlessly, keeping everyone in charge connected and in
control.
REIS: A safe tallying, monitoring and awarding system used for the reception of electoral data
in a decentralized and hierarchical scheme. In the Philippines, deployment spanned 1,700
geographic locations.
SAES-1800: Optical scanner unit designed to register and tally the votes marked in electoral
ballots, with maximum security, exactness and auditability. It is capable of functioning amidst
limited power availability.
Data Centers: Conceived with a fail-safe, efficient, and secure design that allows monitoring
of the platform and providing help desk services in real-time to COMELEC, the political actors,
the press and various observers.
General characteristics of the project

7. Online Results Web System: Solution aimed at publishing the official results on the
Internet in real time, to enhance the transparency and auditability of the electoral process.
Transmission Platform: Securing the reliable telecommunication services for the
transmission of electoral data, through the integration of resources of the main
telecommunications companies in the Philippines.
Services
Smartmatic supplied integral technological, logistical and support services, including:
Hardware Acceptance Testing (HAT). This involved the physical testing and acceptance
of a specific hardware to validate that the goods being delivered were in good working
condition and in compliance with the required specifications of the client. A signed document
was generated between the supplier and the client once the hardware acceptance was
executed.
Technician Training. Conducted to orient technicians on how to operate the voting
machines and the totalization and consolidation system including their peripherals.
Operational contingency protocols were also included as part of the orientation.
Transmission Services. Smartmatic complies with all the secure transmission requirements
for the successful use of the system. It integrated both the machines and the REIS
totalization system, with the possibility of transmitting election results through different
means: fixed phone line (DSL), cellular phone or modem GPRS/EDGE/3G/4G technologies,
and BGAN and VSAT satellite connectivity.
National Support Center. The NSC provided remote support to field personnel in case
that technical or operational issues occurred that were unresolved in the field level. It
also involved monitoring the status of delivery and the operation of all polling and tallying
centers, including checking the attendance of technicians and supervisors.

8. What others said about the elections
“By all accounts, this second automated election has proceeded in a
satisfactory manner, with the system and the vast majority of
machines working as they were intended…” | Edwin Lacierda,
Presidential Spokesperson. 05.14.2013
“We were encouraged to see so many Philippine citizens expressing
their views and differences during the campaigns and making their
voices heard at the polls today. It was another reminder that citizens
of both the Philippines and the United States share the core value of
participatory democracy” | U.S. Embassy in a statement. 05.14.2013
“Clean, honest election always reassures investors on the stability of
the country” | Melito S. Salazar, president of the Management
Association of the Philippines. 05.13.2013
“Up until the last hour before the polls open at 7:00 am, our confi-
dence remains high that this national electoral exercise of 2013 shall
emerge as the most peaceful polls ever in the history of Philippine
elections" | Alan Purisima, PNP chief Director General. 05.13.2013
"The long voting lines, the hard work of our teachers, elections and
security personnel, and the constant vigilance of all are indeed testaments
to the Filipino's high regard for the democratic process and strong desire
to move the country forward" | Statement from Makati Business
Club. 05.13.2013

9. Successful conduct of election seen to propel growth, inspire investors
| 05.14.2013
The business community yesterday said that the successful midterm elections would further
strengthen the country’s economy to higher growth path.
Melito S. Salazar, president of the Management Association of the Philippines, noted that
“clean, honest election always reassures investors on the stability of the country.”
http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=11843&sid=2&subid=80#.UZJHk_GdZZM
Roxas: PH 'real winner' in election | 05.14.2013
Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas congratulated the nation who, he believes,
is the real winner in the recent midterm elections (…) and commented that the 2013 elections
was quieter, orderly and truthful compared to the 2007 and 2010 elections.
http://www.rappler.com/nation/29193-roxas-midterm-elections-ph-winner
Malacanang satisfied with conduct of 2013 midterm elections | 05.14.2013
“By all accounts, this second automated election has proceeded in a satisfactory manner,
with the system and the vast majority of machines working as they were intended. While
there were isolated incidents of violence and equally isolated hitches in the voting process,
our institutions—from the COMELEC to its deputized agencies—volunteers for poll-watching,
media, and the public came together and did their utmost to ensure free, fair, and credible
elections,” Lacierda said.
http://www.pia.gov.ph/news/index.php?article=1781368514309
Related news

10. Critics will have to look elsewhere | 05.14.2013
The incidence of human error in the manual system is far greater than in any automated
count (…).
The benefit of getting results faster and the improbability of the machines being compromi-
sed en masse far outweigh the hiccups encountered in the automation process.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/special-features/editorial/30880-critics-will-have-to-look-elsewhere
Editorial - Improving the system | 05.14.2013
By Philippine standards, yesterday’s vote was generally peaceful and orderly, which is good
for the country. Every electoral exercise should be better than the previous one. In 2010 the
nation pulled off the first-ever fully automated elections, with the winner in the presidential
race announced just a few hours after the polling centers closed. Yesterday the problems
associated with precinct clustering in 2010, which resulted in waiting times of up to five
hours, were largely gone.
http://www.philstar.com/opinion/2013/05/14/941836/editorial-improving-system
Teachers found random manual audit exhausting | 05.14.2013
Public school teachers tapped to do the random manual audit of ballots cast to the precinct
count optical scan (PCOS) machines on Monday night found it very exhausting and expres-
sed the hope that voting does not go back to the old system. "We hope that it should not go
back to the old system of manual voting and counting because it is tasking and exhausting,"
said the teachers belonging to the committee created to do the random manual count. They
said that what they were doing was like going back to what they used to do in the past
elections before automation.
http://balita.ph/2013/05/14/teachers-found-random-manual-audit-exhausting/

11. US commends Philippine mid-term polls | 05.13.2013
The Embassy of the United States commended the Filipinos for exercising democracy in today’s
mid-term elections. “We were encouraged to see so many Philippine citizens expressing
their views and differences during the campaigns and making their voices heard at the polls
today. It was another reminder that citizens of both the Philippines and the United States
share the core value of participatory democracy,” said the U.S. Embassy in a statement.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/05/13/13/us-commends-philippine-mid-term-polls
PNP claims most peaceful elections | 05.13.2013
"Up until the last hour before the polls open at 7:00 am today, our confidence remains high
that this national electoral exercise of 2013 shall emerge as the most peaceful polls ever in
the history of Philippine elections," PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima said.
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/pnp-claims-most-peaceful-elections-001203325.html
Foreign observers watching Philippine elections | 05.13.2013
Thirty foreign election observers are in the Philippines to keep a watch on Monday’s electoral
process, particularly in six areas with a history of election-related violence. “They are interested
on how these local electoral contests will play out three years into the term of President [Benigno]
Aquino [III], who himself won the 2010 elections under the banner of political reforms,”
Arnold Tarrobago, national co-ordinator of Compact of Peaceful and Democratic Elections
(Compact), said.
http://www.emirates247.com/news/philippines/foreign-observers-watching-philippine-elections-2013-05-13-1.506313

12. Automated polls here to stay | 05.13.2013
By tomorrow evening, or 48 hours after the voting on Monday, we will already know the winners
of the senatorial and local elections, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
That follows the same trend during the first automated nationwide elections in 2010, a far
cry from previous manual elections whose results took many days to determine with finality.
With this second automated political exercise, we can already conclude that manual elections,
with their vulnerability to dagdag-bawas and other forms of electoral fraud, are a thing of
the past.
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/news/opinion/13427-automated-polls-here-to-stay
Poll winners known in 48 hours–Comelec | 04.11.2013
The winners in the May 13 elections will likely be known within 48 hours after the close of
voting, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). “Maybe in 48 hours, more or
less, we’ll know the winners at the national level,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes
during a press briefing Wednesday. He expressed confidence that in the municipal and city
levels, just like what happened in 2010, winners will be known in 24 hours.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/388753/poll-winners-known-in-48-hours-comelec
Comelec: Poll preparations almost complete | 04.06.2013
With still more than a month to go before the elections on May 13, the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) is almost done with all preparations for the coming polls. Comelec
Chairman Sixto Brillantes said the poll body is nearing completion of the preparations and is
now in the “implementing stage.”
http://www.philstar.com/election-2013/photos/2013/04/06/927495/comelec-poll-preparations-almost-complete

13. Comelec says it´s all systems go | 04.06.2013
It’s all systems go for the 2013 automated elections, according to the Commission on Elections
(Comelec). Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes said they were practically done with all the preparations
for the May 13 polls. “We don’t want to boast but we are practically finished with our local
preparations. We are already in the implementation stage,” Brillantes told reporters Friday
during an inspection at the Comelec’s Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) assembly facility
in Cabuyao, Laguna.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/385867/comelec-says-its-all-systems-go
Elections 2013 Checklist | 04.02.2013
Easter has always been something of a milestone in the election calendar. After Easter, the
approach of the national and local elections—including the gubernatorial polls in the Autonomous
Region in Muslim Mindanao this year—just seems to speed up tremendously. And so now we
are suddenly confronted with the fact that the polls are just a little over a month away. Time,
in other words, for voters to take stock of just how ready they are to face the ballot.
http://businessmirror.com.ph/index.php/news/opinion/11508-elections-2013-checklist
Comelec launches PCOS demo center | 03.27.2013
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) launched a Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS)
machine demonstration center at its main office in Intramuros, Manila on Wednesday morning.
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said anyone can come in on any working day to familiarize
themselves with the operation of a PCOS machine.
http://www.solarnews.ph/featuredspecials/election2013/2013/03/27/comelec-launches-pcos-demo-center#.UZEbeP
GdZZN

14. Comelec satisfied with field testing of ballot transmission | 01.27.2013
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is satisfied with the results of yesterday’s field
testing conducted in nine areas across the country to check the electronic transmission of
ballots for the May 13 polls. “It’s successful. This field testing is very important because it
will give us an idea of what we are going to encounter when actual election comes. So far
the results are good,” said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/01/27/901529/comelec-satisfied-field-testing-ballot-transmission

16. About Smartmatic
By helping governments become more transparent and more efficient, our technology benefits
societies around the world. Our automated approach to elections makes it easier for nations to
let people decide their leaders securely.
With over 2.2 billion ballots cast and counted, no other company has as much experience of
automating and improving every stage of an election, from registration through to results
publication. Having deployed more than 500,000 machines is a vivid testimony of the level of
trust and satisfaction we have built with clients in the US, Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin American
and the Caribbean have bestowed upon us.
Our headquarters are in London and we employ over 600 professionals in offices
around the world.