Poll body demos new vote-counting machines in Cebu

Comelec tightens watch on social media
DEMONSTRATION. Commission on Elections Chairman George Erwin Garcia demonstrates the new vote-counting machine, which will be used in the 2025 elections, during an information drive at the Cebu Normal University in Cebu City on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela
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THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has unveiled new automated counting machines (ACMs) from a South Korean firm for the 2025 midterm elections, replacing the aging Smartmatic vote-counting machines used in previous polls.  

The poll body, led by Comelec Chairman George Garcia, showcased the new machines from Miru Systems during a demonstration at the Knowledge and Idea Center of Cebu Normal University on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024.

“For the first time, this machine uses a hybridized system. Why hybridized? It’s automated, but you can still manually count all the voters’ ballots throughout the day,” Garcia said in a mix of Tagalog and English. 

The ACMs are part of the poll body’s effort to modernize the election process, enhance transparency, and address concerns about election integrity.  

Features

Garcia said the leased machines feature several upgrades, including a touch-screen interface for overseas voting, and transmit-to-all capability for simultaneous result transmission. 

The poll official said that when results are sent from the precincts, they will no longer be transmitted to the transparency server. Instead, they will be sent directly to the majority party, the minority party, citizen groups, Congress, the media, and the central server of the poll body. This will ensure that all parties receive the same results simultaneously.

Other features include a screen displaying scanned ballot images, and an automatic receipt printer with built-in storage compartments for voter receipts.  

Garcia said this will be the first time such a system will be implemented, adding that Miru Systems had committed to establishing data centers for direct result transmission from precincts. The company, founded in 1999, specializes in electronic voting systems. It has provided voting systems to countries like Iraq and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Contract

The Comelec signed a P17.99 billion contract with Miru Systems in March 2024 for the lease of 110,000 new ACMs and other election equipment. Each unit costs P149,000, cheaper than the P155,000 per unit of Smartmatic.   

Garcia said the Comelec is leasing the machines rather than purchasing them to facilitate easier upgrades and maintenance while avoiding storage issues.

To ensure accountability, the Comelec separated the machine provider from the transmission service provider.  

Demonstration 

In his demonstration, Garcia said the ballot images, both front and back, will be scanned, captured, and displayed sequentially on a screen, revealing the votes for each candidate. 

Unlike the Smartmatic’s vote-counting machines, the new machine features a display screen with a minimum diagonal of 12 inches.

The electoral board, monitors, voters, and the public can visually inspect and manually verify votes by examining the displayed ballot images.

Garcia added that votes can be confirmed using the voter’s receipt, which will be automatically printed and cut, eliminating the need for manual cutting.

The ACMs included a built-in compartment within the ballot box for storing the voter’s receipts.

Hacking concerns 

Asked by a student how to secure ACMs from hackers, Garcia replied: “If you were a hacker, how would you hack the transmission when there’s already a copy of the results before the transmission even begins?” 

The poll official further said that the Comelec had decided to enable the touch-screen feature of the machines only in select countries abroad for overseas voting during the midterm elections. 

This was due to concerns that implementing the feature domestically, where polling precincts often accommodate hundreds of voters, might lead to delays and logistical challenges, according to Garcia.

Smartmatic’s disqualification

In November 2023, the Comelec disqualified Smartmatic from “participating” in all its procurement processes due to allegations of bribery and compromised procurement processes. 

The Comelec then initiated a new bidding process for the 2025 elections. The joint venture led by South Korean firm Miru Systems emerged as the winner. 

The Supreme Court later ruled that the poll body had “gravely abused its discretion” in disqualifying Smartmatic; however, it did not nullify the contract with Miru Systems, citing considerations of equity, justice, practicality, and the doctrine of operative fact.

Smartmatic had been the country’s election technology supplier since automated elections began in 2008, during the regional elections held in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (now the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Muslim Mindanao). 

The first automated national elections happened in 2010./ CAV 

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