Comelec not required to manually count votes in automated polls – SC

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a petition seeking to compel the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to implement manual precinct-level vote counting alongside the automated election system (AES). In an 11-page decision promulgated on Oct. 28, 2025 and made public in May 2026, the high court said manual counting “is not a