Comelec prints 68M ballots 1 month ahead of polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday announced the completion of the 68 million ballots for the midterm polls, one month ahead of schedule.

The poll body printed a total of 68,542,564 ballots for the national and local elections, finishing before the 14 April deadline.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said that with the ballots already printed, the next phase will be the final testing and sealing until the middle of April.

He added that once they encounter a defective ballot, it is immediately reprinted at the National Printing Office. Around two million ballots were deemed bad or defective and must be reprinted, according to Garcia. The reprinting is already underway and will only last a few days.

Miru Systems, the South Korean firm tapped by the Comelec as the automated election system (AES) provider for the upcoming polls, said its team adhered to strict quality control measures to ensure that each ballot is accurately printed, clearly legible, and fully compatible with the brand-new machines.

“Accuracy and integrity are at the core of our ballot production process,” Ken Cho, Miru vice president, said.

“We have implemented rigorous security protocols and quality checks to ensure that every ballot is printed correctly and securely delivered to election officials on schedule,” Cho added.

With state-of-the-art HP printer technology, Cho stressed that Miru Systems ensures all ballots meet stringent security and durability standards. The company will continue working closely with election officials in the next phases of election preparations, including machine testing and voter education efforts leading up to Election Day on 12 May.

With ballot printing complete, the Miru Systems official said the company remains committed to supporting election officials throughout the subsequent stages of the electoral process. Cho emphasized that delivering a smooth and transparent election is “a collective effort,” and that Miru continues to cooperate with election providers to ensure the success of the elections.

He noted that Miru Systems also promptly submitted all requirements on its end for the international certification of the AES, confirming the system’s integrity and security.