Comelec wraps up printing of midterm polls ballots

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday finished printing the 68 million ballots to be used in the midterm polls, one month ahead of schedule.

The poll body completed the printing of 68,542,564 ballots for the national and local elections ahead of the 14 April deadline.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said that with the ballots printed, the next phase will be the final testing and sealing of the automated machines that will take place until mid-April.

Garcia said that when they encountered a defective ballot, it was immediately reprinted at the National Printing Office.

Around two million ballots were considered bad or defective and were reprinted, according to Garcia.

Miru Systems, the South Korean firm tapped by the Comelec to supply the automated election system for the upcoming polls, said its team adhered to strict quality control measures to guarantee that each ballot was precisely printed, clearly legible, and fully compatible with the brand new automated counting 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 said the Miru System has ensured that all ballots meet stringent security and durability standards.

He said the company continues to work closely with election officials in the next phases of election preparations, including machine testing and voter education leading up to Election Day on 12 May.

With the ballot printing now complete, the Miru System official said it remains committed to supporting election officials throughout the next phases of the electoral process.

Cho stressed that delivering a smooth and transparent election is “a collective effort, and we continue to work alongside all election providers to ensure the success of the electoral process.”

He added that Miru System promptly submitted all requirements on its end for the international certification of the AES on time, ensuring that the integrity and security of the system remain protected.

Voters will elect on 12 May this year officials for national and local positions. Nationally, 12 of the 24 Senate seats and all 317 House of Representatives seats are up for grabs.

Locally, elections will be held for executive and legislative positions across all provinces, cities, and municipalities. This includes governors, vice governors, provincial board members, city and municipal mayors, vice mayors and councilors.