Eleksyon 2025: Early Reports of Vote Mismatches Surface
Just hours after voting began in Eleksyon 2025, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) received reports about discrepancies between actual votes and the receipts from the automated counting machines (ACM). This issue has raised concerns among election watchers and voters alike.
PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson shared that some ballots were invalidated because of overvoting, where voters selected more candidates than allowed. Interestingly, the reports came from different polling locations, making it hard to pinpoint a specific area with problems.
“No specific geographic. At first, we’re trying to observe if there is a pattern in a specific polling center, but it seems yung mga tawag namin, so far, iba’t iba ang locations,” Singson explained.
Understanding the Vote mismatches in Eleksyon 2025
This is the first time PPCRV has received such feedback during an election. One notable case involved a voter who selected only four senators, but the machine recorded votes for eight. This raises questions about the reliability of the machines.
“Alam niyo mahirap masabi ngayon kung problema ng machine yan kasi hindi natin nakikita yung balota, hindi na-assess ang balota,” Singson said.
Since the ballots themselves are not visible during counting, it’s challenging to determine if the machine or the voter caused the discrepancy. However, any issues can be detected later through random manual audits.
“Kung may issue man ay makikita ito sa random manual audit. Accurate ba ang pagbilang ng makina? Malalaman natin yan sa random manual audit,” she added.
Next Steps: Ensuring Accurate Results
The random manual audit will serve as the key check to confirm if the automated counting machines accurately recorded the votes. This process helps maintain the integrity of Eleksyon 2025 despite the early reports of vote mismatches.
Voters and observers are encouraged to stay vigilant and report any irregularities. The PPCRV continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure a fair election.
For continuous updates on Eleksyon 2025, visit the dedicated online microsite.