Hardware Acceptance Tests of Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) underway

The Commision on Elections (COMELEC) announced yesterday that out of 95,977 units required for the May 9, 2016 National and Local Elections, 71,456 units of vote counting machines (VCMs) have been delivered to the COMELEC warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Out of the total number of VCMs in the warehouse, 64,382 units have undergone the hardware acceptance test (HAT).

The purpose of the HAT, acccording to the COMELEC, is to ensure that the VCMs are accurately and reliably scanning the ballots and the interpretation of the results are accurate.

COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista, Director for Administrative Services Department Engr. Julio Thaddeus Hernan, and Project Director for Smartmatic Marlon Garcia conducted a walk-through with members of the media this morning in the Sta. Rosa warehouse to keep the voting public updated with the current preparatory activities of the COMELEC.

Chairman Bautista said, “In the interest of transparency, we are open to groups coming over as long as they provide us notice.” The Sta. Rosa warehouse has a viewing deck where visitors can view everything that's going on in the warehouse, he said.

Mr. Garcia said that additional 6,000 machines are expected to depart from Taiwan on or before February 6, 2016 and will take more or less 2 weeeks to arrive in the country.

As part of the COMELEC's effort to ensure the success of the upcoming elections, Chairman Bautista also announced that the COMELEC will be conducting a mock elections in select provinces nationwide on February 13, 2016. ###

Source: Education and Information Department