Manila: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Monday that the introduction of new innovations in the May 12 midterm elections significantly benefitted voters. In a press briefing, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia highlighted the reliance on early voting and mall voting features by the electorate during the polls.

According to Philippines News Agency, Garcia noted, “Many voters have benefited from innovations implemented in this election such as early voting and mall voting.” The early voting feature particularly assisted vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women, allowing them to cast their votes as early as 5 a.m.

Garcia also addressed technical challenges, reporting that 311 automated counting machines (ACMs) experienced minor issues. However, these were promptly resolved, ensuring that the voting process remained uninterrupted. On election day, problems were identified with several components including the ACM itself (15), ACM cover (13), ACM scanner (77), ACM screen (11), ballots (5), manual audit (8), operational concern (2), procedural (1), smart card (1), thermal cutter (60), thermal paper (35), thermal printer (10), and USB device (10).

Reflecting on previous elections, Garcia stated, “In 2022, the Project Management Office would agree on this statement that during the Final Testing and Sealing, there were 2,000 ACMs that encountered problems.” He also mentioned that elections would continue on Tuesday in 15 precincts where ACMs failed to accept ballots due to unclear timing marks. These ballots will be reprinted, with a resolution forthcoming.

Garcia emphasized that this incident should not be considered a failure of elections since voting had commenced and voting centers remained operational. Additionally, he reported a decrease in election-related violence (ERVs) for the May 2025 polls, with 44 recorded incidents, marking the lowest in the last three elections.