THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking at conducting a meticulous discussion with regard to the use of the more than 97,000 vote counting machines (VCMs) in future elections in the country.
Acting poll body chairperson Socorro Inting said in a forum on Monday that of the more than 107,000 VCMs used during the May 2022 elections, more than 97,000 were already used in previous election exercises.
“I am not prematurely deciding or influencing the policy direction of the Comelec en banc but I think everyone will agree to a meticulous discussion and review of the propriety of using these VCMs in future elections,” according to Inting.
The VCMs were first used during the 2016 automated elections.
Acting Comelec spokesperson Atty. John Rex Laudiangco, on the other hand, said that only the small parts of the VCMs experienced technical troubles during the May 9 elections.
“We have to admit there were failures in the VCM. On Election day, only 477, or 0.45 percent failed. Other failures, prior to election day and were readily addressed by the contingency plan. For SD (secure digital) cards, only 428 failed on Election day and were readily configured in the repair hubs,” Laudiangco added.
The Comelec is already in the thick of preparations for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) that will be held on December 5, 2022.
On July 15, a total of 1,307,593 applications were received as registration for regular and youth voters for the coming elections.
Of this number, 863,078 were under the 15-17 year-old age bracket, while for the 18-30 year-old category, there were 435,266. registrants
For those 31 years old and above, the number of registrants was at 72,249.
The voter registration resumed last July 4 and will last until July 23, 2022.