SEVERAL voters in the Davao Region reported technical glitches and errors during the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE), raising concerns about the integrity of the automated voting process.
These incidents prompted calls for transparency and accountability from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In Davao City, Electoral Board Support Staff member Diosdada H. Igar recounted issues with Automated Counting Machines (ACMs), including paper jams, ballot rejections, and voter receipts getting stuck. One technical disruption lasted around 20 minutes, delaying the voting process in her precinct.
Multiple voters also reported incidents of "overvoting" and unexplained discrepancies in their ballots.
"I reviewed my ballot before submitting it and I’m sure I didn’t shade France Castro’s name," said Facebook user Jann Mandalupe. "When I saw that her name appeared in the receipt, I filed a formal complaint. We must not stay silent — our votes matter."
Another voter in Davao City detailed a troubling experience after being one of the first to vote in their precinct. Their ballot was repeatedly rejected by the machine due to a “foreign object” error. After troubleshooting, the machine finally accepted the ballot, but the printed receipt showed an overvote, despite no such issue being visible on the review screen.
“The ballots of two voters after me also weren’t accepted immediately,” the voter said. “I even heard similar problems were occurring in another precinct in the same building. These kinds of glitches make you question the reliability of the system.”
In Toril district, “Tatay Boots,” a senior citizen voting at Crossing Bayabas National High School, said his Senate vote was marked as an overvote even though he selected exactly 12 candidates. He suggested that ink from the back of the ballot may have caused the misread and urged Comelec to consider using thicker paper and better-quality markers in future elections.
In Manuel L. Quezon Elementary School, however, the long queue of voters even at noontime was attributed by Fr. Severino Capulong, parish priest of the Our Lady of Fatima, who is also a volunteer from the Archdiocesan Commission on Elections Monitoring Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (ACE-COM PPCRV), to the huge voter turnout.
But another volunteer of ACE-COM PPCRV, Ella Deang, the parish coordinator of Our Lady of Fatima, said that this is also because some of the members of the vulnerable sector of the community, such as persons with disabilities (PWDs), pregnant women, and senior citizens, lined up on the regular voting hours and not on the special voting hours allotted for them.
“Pag mulinya na gani sila, unahon gyud sila, of course, so mao maatras na pud ang linya. Dili na pud sila kalinya didto sa special polling booth nga para nila kay taas naman pud kaayo ang linya didto,” Deang said.
Aside from that, they have also monitored machine glitches like ballots being rejected several times before being accepted, and also voters’ names not being found on the voter’s list.
Meanwhile, in Sto. Tomas Central Elementary School Sped Center in Barangay Tibal-og, Santo Tomas, Davao del Norte, voting procedures proceeded with steady turnout despite minor delays and technical issues.
Long lines in the morning were followed by a calmer afternoon as voters took advantage of less crowded conditions later in the day and to avoid the heat and congestion.
“Okay ang dagan, ang linya lang taas (The flow is okay, it's just the lines are long),” Odeth Bautista, a voter, said.
For Analie Aloba, 43, the voting process was smooth and well-organized. “Mas okay man siya karon kay abtik siya, tapos daghan siya’g room nga gamiton (It's better now because it's faster, and there are more rooms available to use.) Sa akoang part kay naa man koy bata, na-priority ko… walay samok nahitabo. Peaceful kaayo (As for me, since I have a child, I was given priority... there were no issues. It was very peaceful),” she said.
Pregnant voter Rizza Mae Senbuen, 28, also expressed appreciation for the prioritization of vulnerable voters.
“Kaluy-an, dali ra kaayo. Natagaan ko’g priority, pag-abot nako, diretso na (Thankfully, it was very quick. I was given priority, and when I arrived, I was able to go straight in),” she said.
Despite the generally efficient conduct, some issues were encountered on the ground. Poll watcher Peddie Carvajal Jr. noted that many voters were confused by the precinct signage. “Ang main problem kay ang indicator sa room numbers (The main problem is the indicator for the room numbers)… mas dako ang room number compared sa precinct number, so daghan nag tuyok-tuyok… causing delay and confusion (The room numbers are larger than the precinct numbers, so many people were wandering around… causing delays and confusion),” he said.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Election Officer IV Mangundatu C. Sarigan confirmed minor technical problems, including paper jams and machines temporarily stopping mid-operation.
“May aberya lang konti sa machine… may mga nag paper jam… tapos ni-report naman sa national, napalitan agad (There were just a few issues with the machines… some experienced paper jams… but it was reported to the national authorities and was replaced immediately),” he said.
Sarigan also addressed concerns about voters whose names were missing from the official list. “Yung mga pangalan na wala sa listing, tiningnan namin yung record. Mga ‘failed to vote twice’ last (We checked the records for those whose names were not on the list. They were marked as 'failed to vote twice' previously),” he explained.
In response to these concerns, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia assured the public over a national media interview that the commission is investigating the reports and taking steps to address the issues.
Garcia emphasized that no failure of elections had been declared in any area. However, some voting operations were extended due to technical issues, particularly problems with the ACMs’ ability to read ballots with misaligned or unreadable timing marks.
The automated election system used in the Philippines relies on ACMs, optical mark readers that scan paper ballots filled out by voters. Each ballot contains ovals that voters shade to indicate their choices.
The ACM scans the ballot, reads the marked ovals, and generates a voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT), also known as the voter's receipt, which the voter can review before depositing it into a separate box.
Overvotes, where more choices are marked than allowed, are automatically flagged by the machines and void the vote for that specific contest. However, voters have the option to cancel the submission and re-fill out a new ballot if they catch the error before final submission.
Concerns arise when the machine flags an overvote despite the voter being confident that they shaded the correct number of candidates, which may suggest technical misreads, ink bleeding, or scanner sensitivity issues.
According to the Comelec, these machines are regularly tested and sealed before election day in the presence of poll watchers and observers. However, Garcia acknowledged that environmental factors, paper quality, or ink inconsistencies could still affect the accuracy of ballot reading. He added the commission will review current machine calibrations and ballot design specifications for future elections.
Garcia also encouraged voters who experienced problems to file formal complaints at their local Comelec offices or through designated online portals, promising that each case would be investigated and logged for post-election audit purposes.
As of press time, Comelec-Davao told Sunstar Davao in an interview that they have not received any complaints.