VOTE-COUNTING MACHINES NEED TO BE REPLACED

THIS EARLY, we are calling on the Commission on Elections to start shopping for newer, more durable and more technologically advanced votecounting machines (VCM) for the 2025 midterm elections.

The machines used in yesterday’s elections worked as expected – well, majority of them. But people are wondering why other machines suffered glitches that wasted so many voters’ time and votes. Haslo! Pila pa lang gani ka balota ang gin feed sa VMC, nag- malfunction na. Tarso! This is unacceptable considering that two days before the elections, gin test man ang mga vote-counting machines, ‘ di bala? And they worked just fine. Pero nga-a after a day, sang gamiton na kahapon, nagpalya-palya? Tonto! One explanation – daan na ang mga vote-counting machines. These were used pa during the 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 elections. Of course, nalipasan na sang newer technologies, software and hardware.

Comelec must realize that technological developments happen at lightning speed these days. After two to three years, may bag-o. The poll body must keep up with the times to ensure that our voting-counting machines are at par with technological developments.

Do you agree, Comelec regional director Wil Balisado?