ACM errors hit 50% of election violations

Automated counting machine (ACM) errors constituted half of all reported election violations during the midterm elections, according to poll watchdogs Vote Report PH and Kontra Daya.

These errors commonly included ink smudging, overly sensitive scanners, paper jams, discrepancies between actual votes and voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) results, and instances of overvoting.

Watchdogs asserted that these mismatched votes and overvotes ultimately disenfranchised voters, with voter disenfranchisement cases primarily involving missing names on voter rolls and procedural barriers.

Vote Report PH's final tally also recorded significant reports of illegal campaigning, non-compliance by the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), and red-tagging of progressive candidates.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia attributed the technical problems with the ACMs to "extreme heat" and humidity, explaining that it could cause ink smudges or dampen paper, leading to scanner rejection.

Garcia mentioned that approximately 311 ACMs were replaced due to various issues, although he characterized these as not "major issues."

Despite the Comelec's explanation, election watchdogs observed a notable increase in overvote cases compared to previous elections, which they attribute to the ACMs' sensitivity to smudges and marks on the ballots.

Dr. Danilo Arao, convenor of Kontra Daya, criticized the Comelec for a lack of transparency in testing election paraphernalia, suggesting that this failure contributes to the ongoing ACM errors and technical issues.