Election officers share experience during demonstration of ACMs

Election officers on Wednesday, November 20, participate in the hands-on demonstration of automated counting machines (ACMs) to be used in the 2025 elections. (Photo by the Office of Comelec Chairman)

MANILA, Philippines — Election officers on Wednesday shared their experience on the hands-on demonstration of automated counting machines (ACMs) in preparation for the 2025 polls, emphasizing that operating the machines is fast and convenient.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said that the demonstration was conducted prior to the voter information drive that will take place nationwide from December 2, 2024, to January 30, 2025.

“No one should be left behind in being informed on how voting works in the upcoming elections. For everyone to participate, they should know how the machine works,” Garcia said in Filipino during the sidelines of the 1st National Convention of Election Officers in Pasay City.

READ: Comelec receives bulk of automated counting machines for 2025 polls

Election officers Armando Mallorca and Angelita Failano told INQUIRER.net that their experience with using the ACMs is different from the machines they used in the previous elections.

“I have experienced the previous automated, but this one is different; it’s fast. We used manuals before. But this, you can just plug it in, and it’s quick. We said we would not be having a hard time teaching the electoral boards,” Mallorca said in Filipino.

Mallorca, an election officer for 37 years in Pateros, Manila, also shared that he did not encounter any problems in the demonstration.

“This can easily be picked up… And since I have experience, this is easy for me,” Mallorca added in a mix of Filipino and English.

He also said that he is ready to participate in the ACM roadshow and mock elections, emphasizing transparency to inform the public of the process of operating the ACMs.

Further, Failano touted the improvement done by Comelec in introducing innovation for the machines.

“What I experienced in the commission for a long time, I experienced manual elections and the introduction of automation, and I can see the difference in innovation that the commission is doing to improve the ACMs,” Failano said in Filipino.

Failano, an election officer for 38 years, said they saw that there should be a lot of improvements from when the first vote counting machine was introduced in 2010.

Failano said that the new features, such as providing an automatic receipt cutter in the machines, headphones and keypads for vulnerable sectors, and a 14-inch touch screen, are a huge help for the voters and the electoral board officers.

She also shared that using the local dialect to explain how voting and voting machines work for indigenous peoples will make it more understandable.

READ: Comelec lists approved areas for mock elections, no date set yet

“They are excited to receive information. They said that when I come back, I should teach them first,” Failano added in Filipino.