Poll watchdogs urge blacklisting of Smartmatic; Comelec stands by certification

Citizens of Potrero, Malabon cast their votes at Potrero Elementary School on May 9, Wednesday.

Philstar.com / Deejae Dumlao

MANILA, Philippines — On Day 3 of the Commission on Elections' canvassing of votes, poll watchdog groups labelled the 2022 polls a failure that they attributed to election software provider Smartmatic, after widespread technical glitches led to thousands of voters being stranded in their precincts for hours. 

To recall, the Comelec ahead of May 9 largely touted its retrofitted systems for this year's polls, saying these adjustments were meant to allow for as much transparency as possible by limiting human discretion through automation. 

Under the system, a separate transparency server allows the media and the public to keep pace with the count through its Public Results Website.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/05/11/2180378/poll-watchdogs-urge-blacklisting-smartmatic-comelec-stands-certification