Comelec to use newer VCMs in next elections

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the vote-counting machines (VCMs) used in the National and Local Elections 2022 will not be used in future elections.

Comelec said that the machines have a lifespan of barely five years, even under COA (Commission on Audit) guidelines. They added that these computers are over nine years old.

More than 100,000 VCMs, according to Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, are outdated and will be replaced beginning with the 2025 midterm elections.

“I believe this is our VCMs’ final dance. We will not use it in the elections of 2025. Even if we state that only a modest budget will be allocated in 2025, we will insist that we will not employ these VCMs in subsequent elections,” he said at a press conference held at the Philippine International Convention Center Forum Tent in Pasay City.

The machines, according to Casquejo, might be used for various purposes, such as checking exam results at the Professional Regulation Commission.

In 2010, precinct counting optical scan machines were utilized in the automated election, which was also used in 2013 and VCMs were first utilized in national and local elections in 2016.

Meanwhile, despite experiencing minor errors with the VCMs in different places nationwide, such cases have been reported directly to the technical staff and Comelec and were fixed before noon time.