The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has replaced at least 200 automated counting machines (ACMs) during the May 2025 elections after they began rejecting ballots, according to poll chairman George Erwin Garcia.
Garcia explained that while the machines didn’t completely stop functioning, repeated rejections of ballots prompted the operations center to act swiftly. “To avoid bigger issues, we immediately pulled out the machines and replaced them,” he said.
Despite the issues, Comelec noted that the deployment of 16,000 backup machines nationwide provided a safety net. “Even in 2022, we replaced 2,500 machines early in the day, so this is part of our preventive strategy,” Garcia added.
In Cebu’s Lahug Elementary School, five machines malfunctioned but were quickly repaired. Similar disruptions were reported in Lipa City, Batangas, where voters experienced early delays.
The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) also reported technical issues in various regions including Zamboanga del Sur, Ilocos Sur, Negros Oriental, and Laguna. Scanner errors and jammed paper audit trails led to temporary pauses in voting and long lines.
LENTE stressed the need for prompt resolution of such problems to prevent voter disenfranchisement and maintain trust in the electoral process.