#pcos machine

In line with the upcoming Senatorial election, we decided to give you a short preview of the controversial automated tool that will be used to count our vote –the Precinct Count Optical Scan machine or commonly known as PCOS machine. In the first automated election, the Commission of Election used two different machines to count votes; Smartmatic-Sahi DRE (Direct Recording Electronic) voting machine and AITI’s (AVANTE International Technology, Inc.) Optical Mark Reader. This is similar to Smartmatic’s PCOS machine which was used during the 2010 Presidential election. Setting up the PCOS machine In the most basic sense, a PCOS machine works similarly to a machine used in local sweepstakes betting stations. Smartmatic’s PCOS machine is equipped with several features that limit the possibility of tainting the integrity of the election result. Let’s start with powering the machine. Turning on the machine alone requires a three-step verification process which involves inserting a Security Key (as seen in the image above), and typing two different passwords that are given to two different voting officials. If one enters a wrong password or in the event that 1 of the 3 security features of the machine are not setup properly, the machine will not startup. Read more in our articles including "Guide: A crash-course on PCOS Machines" and "Best Budget Tablets for Back-to-School 2026 | Under P10,000".