The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has replaced over 200 automated counting machines (ACMs) due to malfunctions, as many of them repeatedly rejected ballots, according to poll chief George Erwin Garcia.
“During the election, reports of faulty automated counting machines (ACMs) were monitored, particularly in Cebu, where five ACMs malfunctioned at Lahug Elementary School but were promptly addressed by authorized technicians,” Garcia said.
He also said that technical difficulties with several vote-counting machines caused disruptions during the initial voting hours at GB Lontok Memorial Integrated School in Lipa City, Batangas.
“We have 16,000 contingency ACMs. At present, we have 110,000 ACMs being used nationwide,” Garcia said.
“Compared to the 2022 elections, over 2,500 voting machines were pulled during the early hours of voting. Of course, we replaced them because its old,” Garcia said.
ACMs feature a hybrid voting system that combines automated ballot counting with manual verification.
The machines were designed to streamline the vote counting process. Election boards and watchers can still manually monitor votes for accuracy to ensure a transparent and verifiable system.