Political group ACE-COM clashes with PPCRV over control of Automated Counting Machines (ACMs)
The Archdiocesan Commission on Elections Monitoring Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (ACE-COM PPCRV) stumbled upon an issue during the operation of the Automatic Counting Machine (ACM).
As per Atty. Aileen Lizada of the ACE-COM PPCRV, she encountered several issues during the final testing and sealing of the ACM.
She claimed that she purposely shaded two numbers, neither of which the ACM registered. However, when she tested it with 13 candidates, it did record the votes for 12 of them.
"Who's going to decide whether 13 becomes 12, who decides who's left out of 12?" she inquired during an interview at Davao City National High School on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Lizada argued that the machine should be capable of handling more than 12 senate seats to test for the potential of "overvote."
She marked the ballot in various ways -- using a box, a straight line, a tick, a check, and a shade -- to test the machine's responsiveness to different styles of marking. She stated that these marking methods were only utilized to better understand the machine's capabilities in reading the shaded ovals.
She implied that these marking methods were used exclusively for testing purposes and not for actual voting.
The names of those who were shaded on the ballots were not disclosed, although some members and ACM operators were among the individuals present.
Due to this incident, the PPCRV pleaded with voters to be certain that their shade marks were accurately placed on the lines and not using any unauthorized marks to ensure their votes were correctly counted by the ACM.
Commission on Elections-Davao Region (Comelec-Davao) Director Gay Enumerables explained that the number "32" was not a valid vote.
She clarified that the square shape was used only for the oval, and the machine did not recognize other markings. She insisted that voters should concentrate on shading the oval correctly to ensure their votes were accurately counted by the ACM.
The 2025 National and Local Elections are scheduled for May 12, 2025. On that day, millions of Filipinos lined up at polling precincts across various locations. (Rojean Grace G. Patumbon)
Insights: In the Philippine automated elections, voters need to fully shade the oval beside their chosen candidate's name. Partial shading may lead to invalid votes. Voters should also ensure they do not add any other marks on the ballot, such as crossing or ticks outside the oval, to protect the validity of their vote. The votes are counted by machines that scan the ballots, recognizing the shaded ovals to record the votes. Always consult official sources like the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) for the most current information regarding the rules and regulations for voting in Philippine automated elections.
- Atty. Aileen Lizada raised a concern during the final testing and sealing of the Automatic Counting Machine (ACM) in Davao City National High School on May 6, 2025, wondering, "Who's going to decide whether 13 becomes 12, who decides who's left out of 12?"
- Lizada agreed that the ACM should be capable of handling more than 12 senate seats during the 2025 National and Local Elections on May 12, 2025, to test for potential "overvote" scenarios.
- To better understand the ACM's capabilities, Lizada tested various marking methods on the ballot, such as using a box, a straight line, a tick, a check, and a shade, but emphasized that these were only for testing purposes and not for actual voting.
- Commission on Elections-Davao Region (Comelec-Davao) Director Gay Enumerables explained that only shading the oval correctly would lead to a valid vote, adding that voters should avoid any unauthorized marks outside the oval to ensure their votes were accurately counted by the ACM.
