Final testing of ACMs for 2025 polls ‘100% successful’, says Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday that the final testing and sealing (FTS) of the automated counting machines (ACMs) that will be used for the upcoming 2025 national and local elections have been successful. 

“So far, 100% successful po ‘yung ating mga tina-try na mga makina. Wala pong kahit isa na technical issue na na-encounter ang ating mga electoral board members,” Comelec chairman George Garcia said in a Super Radyo dzBB interview. 

(So far, the machines we have tested were 100% successful. Our electoral board members have not encountered a single technical issue in them.) 

The Comelec chief said that all the ACMs have been distributed nationwide, with the FTS running until May 7.  

“Ang mga makina ay sinusubukan sa bawat presinto ng mga electoral board members na maglilingkod sa Lunes, sa Mayo 12— inaalam [kung] bumibilang ba ng tama ang mga makina, tinatanggap ba ‘yung mga balota na na-imprenta natin, sadya bang tumutugma ang bilang ng mga makina as against do’n sa manual count ng mga balota,” Garcia explained. 

(The machines are being tested in each precinct by the electoral board members who will be on duty on Monday, May 12. They are checking if the machines are counting correctly, if the ballots we have printed are being read, and if the votes read by the machines match the manual count of the ballots.) 

The poll body on Friday, May 2, began the FTS of the ACMs in some polling precincts ahead of the midterm elections.

During FTS, the electoral board members (ERBs) will conduct an end-to-end test of the ACMs, including the initialization of the machines.

Ten voters will also be allowed to cast ballots using the machines. After voting, their votes will be counted manually and compared to the results from the ACMs.

After the FTS, the ACMs will be sealed and stored at the Office of the Department Education Supervisor Official (DESO) to be safeguarded by members of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines until the May 12 elections. —RF, GMA Integrated News

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