Eastern Visayas: At least 5,670 automated counting machines (ACMs) designated for the upcoming national and local elections in Eastern Visayas have successfully undergone final testing and sealing (FTS). This critical exercise took place on Tuesday as part of the preparations for the elections scheduled on May 12.

According to Philippines News Agency, Ma. Krishna Athena Elardo, the legal officer for Commission on Elections (Comelec) Region 8, stated that the testing involved electoral board members in each precinct who will be on duty during the elections. The primary objective was to replicate the voting experience at actual polling centers to ensure a seamless process on Election Day. Following the FTS, the machines were securely returned to designated storage areas within localities.

During the FTS, board members rigorously assessed the machines’ accuracy in counting, readability of printed ballots, and alignment of votes with the manual ballot count. Elardo confirmed that the testing was successful, with no technical issues reported. However, contingency plans are in place should any malfunction occur on Election Day.

The comprehensive testing included an end-to-end evaluation of the voting process, starting from machine initialization to the voting by at least ten randomly selected individuals. This was followed by the feeding of completed ballots into the machines and the subsequent printing of election returns.

The newly introduced counting machines come equipped with features designed to enhance the voting process for the 2025 elections. Notable improvements include an automatic receipt cutter, headphones and keypads for vulnerable sectors, and a 14-inch touch screen for voters to review their selections.

Elardo reassured the public of their readiness to conduct the elections, highlighting that there are 2,259,554 registered voters across the region’s six provinces based on Comelec data.