ACM errors top complaints in 2025 midterm polls
ACM errors top complaints in 2025 midterm polls composite image. Illustration by Ed Lustan/Inquirer.net
MANILA, Philippines — As the 2025 midterm elections concluded, automated counting machine (ACM) errors emerged as the most reported election anomaly, accounting for over half of the total complaints logged by poll watchdogs.
According to the final status report of Vote Report PH as of May 13, 12:00 PM, a total of 6,064 election-related violations were reported, with 1,593 cases verified. Among these, ACM issues represented 50.09 percent of all verified violations, translating to 798 reports.
These incidents commonly included ink smudging, overly sensitive scanners, and a high incidence of overvotes—errors that watchdogs say contributed to widespread voter disenfranchisement.
Vote Report PH’s final tally also recorded significant reports of:
- Illegal campaigning — 12.55% or 200 incidents
- Voter disenfranchisement — 9.04% or 144 cases
- Non-compliance by the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) — 7% or 102 incidents
- Red-tagging of progressive candidates — 3.39% or 54 cases
Voter disenfranchisement cases primarily involved missing names on voter rolls and procedural barriers that prevented eligible individuals from casting their votes. The watchdog also noted the increase in overvoting, which it attributes to the ACMs’ sensitivity to smudges and marks on the ballots.
Machines fail, vote discrepancies
“ACM errors include cases of paper jams, mismatch of actual votes versus Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) results, and overvoting due to smudging and/or other markings on the ballots. These technical issues inevitably led to voter disenfranchisement,” said Dr. Danilo Arao, convenor of poll watchdog Kontra Daya.
While the Commission on Elections (Comelec) attributed some issues to extreme heat and humidity—conditions that could cause ink smudges or make paper damp—Kontra Daya raised concerns about the lack of transparency in testing the machines before the elections.
“While these factors might play a role, the fact remains that these errors and technical issues will continue because the Comelec fails to be transparent with how they’re testing the election paraphernalia,” Arao said.
Despite the rise in complaints about VVPAT mismatches, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia downplayed the issue, citing the absence of hard evidence. He speculated that some voters might have forgotten their choices or mistakenly shaded the wrong circles on the ballots.
“For those who claim that the receipts they got do not match their votes, we do not have evidence or proof because it’s highly possible that they forgot who they voted for, or that they shaded someone’s name that was not their preferred candidate,” Garcia said in Filipino.
READ: Wait for audit: Garcia says no proof of machines’ inaccurate receipts
The Comelec maintained that the most reliable evidence would come from post-election manual audits, which would compare transmitted ballot images and physical ballots.
Election hotspots identified
Vote Report PH identified the top election violation hotspots, where most irregularities were reported:
- NCR: Quezon City, Manila City, Marikina City
- Outside NCR: Baguio City (Benguet), Davao City (Davao del Sur), Antipolo City (Rizal)
Data from the poll body showed that Quezon City tops the list of vote-rich cities with 1,454,411 registered voters. It is followed by Manila with 1,142,174 registered voters, while Marikina logged 315,980 registered voters in the city.
Meanwhile, Baguio City registered a total of 166,416 voters, while Davao City had 1,006,592 registered voters, and Antipolo City recorded 455,797 voters.
A new system with old problems
The Comelec’s decision to replace the aging Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) from Smartmatic with the ACMs supplied by South Korea’s Miru Systems was aimed at modernizing the electoral process. Despite high expectations, the shift to Miru’s ACMs proved problematic for many voters.
READ: Miru System: A major shift in voting technology awaits 2025 elections
Garcia admitted that 311 ACMs needed replacement during the election, but he emphasized that this number was significantly lower compared to the 2,500 VCMs replaced in the 2022 presidential polls.
The ACM issues primarily involved scanner malfunctions and faulty thermal printers.
READ: No failure of elections: ACM replacements still lower than 2022’s
“Compared to the 2022 elections, where during the first few hours of voting, 2,500 machines were immediately replaced, here, in all fairness, we only replaced 311 machines,” Garcia noted.
The Comelec also explained that ACM malfunctions were primarily caused by the intense heat, leading to dirt and moisture buildup on the scanners, forcing poll workers to pause voting periodically for cleaning.
Comelec slammed over ‘poll blunders’
In a strongly worded statement, poll watchdog Kontra Daya called for accountability from the Comelec over what it described as major blunders and irregularities in the 2025 midterm elections.
“The Comelec has a lot of explaining to do with the reported blunder and violations in the midterm elections,” Kontra Daya stated.
According to the group, the first hours of the voting period were already marred with technical issues concerning the ACMs. Voters experienced delays of an hour or more due to malfunctioning machines.
There were also reports of vote mismatches between ballots and VVPAT receipts, as well as overvoting attributed to slight smudges and markings on the ballots—errors that resulted in disenfranchisement.
“There is also a noticeable spike in reports of overvoting in this year’s election. Disenfranchisement is also reported with voters still unable to find their names in the list,” Kontra Daya added.
The group also flagged reports of illegal campaigning, particularly the distribution of campaign materials, including sample ballots, near polling precincts—a violation of election rules.
Overseas Filipino voters were not spared from issues, as confusion arose with the shift from the traditional automated voting system to an Online Voting System (OVS). Kontra Daya reported that many overseas voters were left suspicious of possible electoral fraud.
Garcia earlier said no failure of elections has been declared since the primary requirements to push through with an election have been fulfilled.
“We do not have any failure of elections whatsoever, everything functioned according to plan. Having a failure of election—there are many Supreme Court decisions already—means that number one, the materials were not delivered, not even one. Number two, teachers who will serve as electoral board members did not arrive, and it resulted in a failure to elect,” he noted.
“What if the materials were there, teachers were present, elections were held and the precinct functioned, but only one of one hundred voters cast his or her vote, that does not mean it means a failure of election. The failure to elect must be as a result of violence, terrorism, or force majeure.”
Software concerns
Kontra daya previously criticized the Comelec for its failure to explain the use of unaudited software in the ACMs, asserting that it compromised the integrity of the election.
The watchdog maintained that version 3.5.0 is not the same as 3.4.0, which was the only version certified by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC).
“Instead of addressing these issues, the Comelec dismissed it and claimed that there were no major problems in yesterday’s election,” Kontra Daya said.
According to the group, this issue, along with the reported election violations, underscores the need for manual counting before electronic transmission, a measure it believes would restore public trust and ensure the sanctity of the vote.
“Given the uncertainty, Comelec should practice transparency. Manual counting upholds the sanctity of the vote while ensuring a transparent, public tallying process and reinforcing trust in democratic elections,” the statement continued.
READ: 2025 elections: Groups want manual vote count amid software update
In response to the allegations of a sudden software change, Comelec clarified that the version 3.5 software currently used by the ACMs had been reviewed and verified.
Comelec explained that the version labeled as 3.4 during the Local Source Code Review Report was later verified by third-party audits. Upon successful verification, it was re-labeled as version 3.5, indicating no substantial change in the software itself.
“For everyone’s information, the source code of the ACM was duly audited and the hash codes correspond to the final trusted build of the independent third-party auditor and international certification entity,” Comelec stated.
Comelec emphasized that the supposed discrepancy between versions 3.4 and 3.5 was purely a matter of labeling following verification.
“The said version 3.4 of the Local Source Code Review Report is the one that went through an independent third-party audit, and after it passed the verification, it was labeled as version 3.5, which is currently being used by the ACMs based on what the candidates are showing in a video,” Comelec added.
The poll body also reminded the public that spreading “false and alarming information” is considered an election offense under Philippine law.
Graphics by Ed Lustan/Inquirer.net. Source: Vote Report PH
