Comelec completes final testing of ACMs for midterms

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) officially began the final testing and sealing (FTS) of Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) for the upcoming midterm polls on Friday, May 2, with Comelec Muntinlupa scheduled to conduct its FTS on Monday, May 5.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia personally oversaw the procedures at Pateros Elementary School in Pateros, encouraging election stakeholders to monitor the FTS process and emphasizing its importance in ensuring transparency and readiness of the automated election system.

The Comelec chief said Sunday that all ACMs have been successfully tested with no technical issues encountered by electoral board members, and distribution has been completed nationwide.

During FTS, machines undergo 'zero initialization' and an end-to-end test where ten voters cast ballots using the machines, with results manually compared for accuracy before sealing and storing them under strict security measures until May 12 elections.

Muntinlupa City will conduct its FTS on May 5 at designated polling places, with Comelec Muntinlupa Election Officer IV Kimberly Joy Alzate-Cu notifying that all necessary supplies have been delivered and secured by partner logistics.

Muntinlupa has 314,934 registered voters across 28 voting centers and 2,094 precincts, with two councilor districts each electing a mayor, vice mayor, eight councilors, and various national positions.