The Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday called on election stakeholders and private organizations to hold road shows on the use of automated counting machines (ACMs) in order to help voters better understand the process in next year’s midterm and Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE).

“We are encouraging private organizations, especially those with large venues available, to make the request [for ACM demonstration] with the local Comelec office,” Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said on the sidelines of the ACM Road Shows kickoff in Intramuros, Manila.

“All local Comelec offices are properly instructed to accept requests [for ACM demonstration]. The wider the reach, the better for our voters’ education drive,” he added.

At the same time, Garcia said they received a report that an ACM unit assigned to Mindanao had a screen malfunction.

However, it was immediately replaced with a contingency machine.

“We are still checking what happened. But probably, because of the length of the travel, some parts got loose,” he added.

In Kalibo, Aklan, an ACM road show was canceled due to bad weather and floods.

Garcia said they are monitoring the floods in some parts of Capiz and Antique.

The Comelec ACM roadshow will end on January 30, 2025.

It will be conducted in all villages all over the country. Each municipality or city has been assigned one ACM each.

All Comelec field officials underwent training on how to operate the ACMs during the national convention for Election Officers last month in Pasay City. (PNA)