LOOK: In preparation for the 12 May midterm elections, electoral board members and technical staff from the Department of Education Supervising Officials (DESO) conducted the final testing and sealing of vote counting machines and other election materials at a school in San Andres Bukid, Manila, on Monday, 5 May 2025. The process was closely observed by poll watchers to uphold transparency and ensure the integrity of the upcoming polls.
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A poll watchdog on Tuesday called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to explain the reported election blunders and violations reported during the midterm polls on 12 May.
In a statement, Kontra Daya said that for the first hours of the voting period, it had received verified reports of technical issues with the automated counting machines (ACMs).
The poll watchdog also pointed out reports of delays lasting for more than an hour due to malfunctioning ACMs and mismatch of actual votes versus voter verifiable paper audit trail results, and overvoting due to slight smudges/markings on the ballot.
"There is also a noticeable spike in reports of overvoting in this year’s election. Disenfranchisement is also reported with voters still unable to find their names in the list," it noted.
As of Tuesday noon, Kontra Daya and Voter Report PH received and verified 1,593 reports of election-related violations.
Of the figure, ACM issues remain the most frequently reported election-related issue, comprising 50.09 percent of cases or 798 reports.
"On election day, the monitoring center received reports of illegal campaigning where distribution of campaign materials, including sample ballots near polling precincts," Kontra Daya added.
Further, Kontra Daya also flagged the issues that arose from the shift from the automated voting system to the online voting system (OVS), "leaving the overseas Filipino voters suspicious of possible electoral fraud."
"We maintain our call for manual voting and counting to ensure that every vote is counted and verified by the public," it added.
Kontra Daya also flagged the Comelec for failing to explain the use of unaudited software in the ACM, which it stressed "compromised the integrity of the elections."
"We repeat, version 3.5.0 is not the same as 3.4.0, which has TEC certification," it said.
On Monday, the international certification entity Pro V&V said it reviewed and subjected to final trusted build version 3.5.0, and not 3.4.0, of the automated counting machine software used in the midterm elections.
According to the Comelec, Pro V&V confirmed that there was no mismatch with the ACM's software version and what was stated in the Audit Report.
Pro V&V also said that they have conducted a source code review, and that the "Final Source Code Review Report" on 30 April was outdated as it did not include changes submitted by Miru Systems on 28 March.
The Final Trusted Build was done on 29 March in Huntsville, Alabama.
The poll body said Pro V&V promised to submit a revised Final Source Code Review to clarify doubts on the system.
