USC to Use Halalan Software for Computerized Elections
By Sophia Lucero
The University Student Council (USC) and the University of the Philippines Linux Users' Group (UnPLUG) formally announced the computerization of the upcoming USC elections, through the use of the Halalan Software, in a press conference held last January 27 at the Palma Hall Lobby. Halalan is an open-source web-based voting system designed by members of UnPLUG, approved by the Office of Student Activities (OSA), Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), and the Office of the Chancellor (OC). Waldemar Bautista, its president, said the idea was conceived when they learned that OSA found difficulty managing the USC elections. Diwa Del Mundo, former president of UnPLUG, explained how the use of Halalan would result in lower costs, greater efficiency, and higher voter turnout. Central to the Halalan system is the Halalan Server, in which information regarding parties and candidates are stored, and to which every remote collection of ballot data is communicated. These remote collections of data come from Boto Stations, composed of several Boto Terminals and a Boto Station Administrator. There will be three computers for each of the colleges with laboratories, while the others without ones will make use of kiosks or computer terminals. Permitted voters, i.e., students with countersigned ID's simply need to login to one of the Boto Terminals and send their ballot to the Halalan Server. Abuse is avoided by providing a randomly-generated password, which expires as soon as a user session ends. Beta Testing of the application will be conducted this February through a USC mock election. UnPLUG also plans to apply Halalan to local colleges, departments, organizations, and dormitories. People interested in helping out with the development process in all areas may get in touch with UnPLUG through their website, http://uplug.org. Information on Halalan and its source code are available at http://halalan.uplug.org. A Halalan thread is also open at http://peyups.com. Halalan was featured in Parser's previous issue through an in-depth interview with Waldemar Bautista, Diwa Del Mundo,and Jofell Gallardo of UnPLUG.
By Sophia Lucero
The University Student Council (USC) and the University of the Philippines Linux Users' Group (UnPLUG) formally announced the computerization of the upcoming USC elections, through the use of the Halalan Software, in a press conference held last January 27 at the Palma Hall Lobby. Halalan is an open-source web-based voting system designed by members of UnPLUG, approved by the Office of Student Activities (OSA), Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Student Affairs (OVCSA), and the Office of the Chancellor (OC). Waldemar Bautista, its president, said the idea was conceived when they learned that OSA found difficulty managing the USC elections. Diwa Del Mundo, former president of UnPLUG, explained how the use of Halalan would result in lower costs, greater efficiency, and higher voter turnout. Central to the Halalan system is the Halalan Server, in which information regarding parties and candidates are stored, and to which every remote collection of ballot data is communicated. These remote collections of data come from Boto Stations, composed of several Boto Terminals and a Boto Station Administrator. There will be three computers for each of the colleges with laboratories, while the others without ones will make use of kiosks or computer terminals. Permitted voters, i.e., students with countersigned ID's simply need to login to one of the Boto Terminals and send their ballot to the Halalan Server. Abuse is avoided by providing a randomly-generated password, which expires as soon as a user session ends. Beta Testing of the application will be conducted this February through a USC mock election. UnPLUG also plans to apply Halalan to local colleges, departments, organizations, and dormitories. People interested in helping out with the development process in all areas may get in touch with UnPLUG through their website, http://uplug.org. Information on Halalan and its source code are available at http://halalan.uplug.org. A Halalan thread is also open at http://peyups.com. Halalan was featured in Parser's previous issue through an in-depth interview with Waldemar Bautista, Diwa Del Mundo,and Jofell Gallardo of UnPLUG.