Comelec launches end-to-end testing of AES for 2025 polls

Comelec headquarters in Intramuros, Manila. INQUIRER FILES

MANILA, Philippines — For the first time in its history, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday launched to the public the end-to-end testing for the automated election systems (AES) in preparation for the 2025 elections.

According to Garcia, it is the first time the poll body opened the testing to the public to ensure transparency.

“This end-to-end testing will give us more knowledge on the issues that Comelec will resolve about our automated election system and we want to show what the issues are so there is adjustment to be done,” Garcia said in a press briefing.

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Further, Comelec Information Technology Department Director Jeannie Flororita said that end-to-end testing is done as part of the laboratory test.

She said that laboratory testing is done in equipment, voting systems, counting and canvassing, and transmission.

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She added that the end-to-end testing is done after the laboratory test and the completion of the functionality of each system.

“The testing is done to assess systems of FASTRAC (Full Automation System with Transparency Audit/Count) and OVCS (Online Voting Counting System), including the transmission of the test results,” she said in her presentation.

“The end-to-end test will be considered successful if all the results are transmitted and received and the results are accurate,” Flororita added.

Flororita further explained that overseas Filipino voters would need to enroll first, even if they are registered voters, before they can proceed with online voting.

“Enrollment will be starting on February 27 and it will end on May 12… After enrollment, those enrolled voters can now vote using the OVCS,” Flororita noted.

Further, Lito Averia, National President of the poll watchdog National Movement for Free Elections, said that considering the point of transparency, they are happy to be informed of the project.

However, he said that he was hoping for the Secure Electronic Transmission Services, like what iOne provided, to be included in the testing launch.

“So apparently, today, the transmission facility is Starlink. We could have seen the transmission facility if we want to see how the transmission performs,” he said in an ambush interview.