ZAMBOANGA CITY—The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is set to conduct mock polls that would serve as the dry run in preparation for the conduct of automated elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The ARMM assistant election supervisor, Vidzfar Juli, said the dry run, which will be conducted toward the end of this month, aims to orient the voters on poll automation.

The Comelec is using two types of machines for the elections—one using direct recording electronic (DRE) tehnology and the other the optical mark reader (OMR)—in the August 11 ARMM elections.

The DRE will be used in Maguindanao, while the OMR in the other ARMM provinces—Lanao del Sur, Shariff Kabunsuan, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.

The DRE system uses touch-screen or touch-pad technology, while the OMR method requires voters to fill out a paper ballot that will scanned by the machine for authentication and counting.

Juli said the machines will arrive on July 20 at the ARMM election office in this city and would be shipped to the autonomous region for the dry run.

He said election officials are coordinating with the police and military authorities in the ARMM areas to help them secure the machines.

The ARMM has 1.61 million registered voters and 10,805 voting precincts in 113 towns and two cities or 2,470 barangays.

At stake in the August elections are the highest positions in the autonomous government including governor, vice governor and members of the 24-seat unicameral Regional Legislative Assembly (RLA).

The new set of elected officials will serve until 2011.

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