Advance polling for individuals with disabilities, senior citizens, and expectant mothers
2025 Special Needs Voters Get Early Voting Hour Advantage in Philippine Elections
Gear up, Cebu voters with special needs! You're getting a head start in the National and Local Elections on May 12, 2025. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set aside early voting hours from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. specifically for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs), and pregnant women.
This nationwide initiative aims to provide a safer, smoother, and more accessible voting experience. Carcar City Election Officer Omar Sharif Mamalinta, in a conversation with our Cebu reporters and editors on May 4, highlights that these early voting hours are part of their efforts to make elections more inclusive and convenient for those who may struggle with long lines or standard voting hours from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Priority lanes will be available all day for eligible voters who cannot vote early. Companions registered in the same precinct can cast their votes together.
To make polling places easier to navigate, Priority Polling Places are set up, especially for voters who cannot access upper floors. Voter assistance desks, staffed by volunteers, will be stationed outside precincts to help voters locate their assigned polling places.
As for the voting machines, Comelec is introducing new automated counting machines (ACMs) from Korean firm Miru Systems. These replace the Smartmatic machines used since 2016. The ACMs feature a larger 14-inch touchscreen display, a privacy screen, and a battery life exceeding 14 hours. They include auto-aligning document features, faster scanning, and receipt-cutting with secure storage.
Each machine supports peripherals like headsets and marking pens, and it transmits results to seven servers: the canvassing board, central server, two citizen's arm servers, dominant majority, dominant minority, and media server.
Key functions of the ACMs include voter's receipt printing, on-screen ballot review, result generation and transmission, digital signing, and audit reviews. The machines operate through set steps, from diagnostics and voting to data backup and closing procedures.
The ACM-compatible ballot includes timing marks, QR codes, and multiple security seals on both sides. These measures are part of a broader push to improve voter turnout and ensure that every Filipino can cast their vote with ease and confidence.
A Closer Look at Miru Systems
- Background: Miru Systems was awarded the contract for the lease of ACMs by Comelec following a bidding process, with a contract value of ₱17.9 billion.
- Controversies: Despite some concerns over electoral failures in other countries where Miru Systems was involved, the company maintains that those countries continue to trust its services.
Overall, the introduction of Miru Systems' ACMs in the 2025 Philippine elections aims to enhance the efficiency, security, and transparency of the electoral process.
- Voters with special needs in Cebu will be given the advantage of early voting in the 2025 Philippine Elections, from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. on May 12.
- Pregnant women, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities are among the groups that can vote early during this time.
- For those unable to vote early, priority lanes will be available all day, and registered companions can cast their votes together.
- To make polling places more accessible, Priority Polling Places have been set up, particularly for voters who cannot access upper floors.
- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is introducing new automated counting machines (ACMs) from Miru Systems, which feature a larger touchscreen display, privacy screen, and a battery life exceeding 14 hours. These new machines will help ensure a smoother, safer, and more accessible voting experience.
