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Case Study: Technology and Trust in the 2022 Philippine Election Results

  • Writer: Democratic Insights Group
    Democratic Insights Group
  • Apr 30
  • 2 min read

Updated: Apr 30

This case study examines the intersection of electoral technology and democratic trust during the 2022 Philippine national elections. While the rapid transmission of over 20 million votes within the first hour of poll closing was hailed by some as a triumph of efficiency, it also sparked controversy and allegations of irregularities. Central to the debate were concerns raised by a trio of former officials and IT experts who questioned the plausibility of the vote transmission speed and the existence of a “secret gateway” through a private network IP address. Despite assurances from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and confirmation from watchdog groups like PPCRV and Namfrel that manual audits and parallel counts matched machine tallies with over 99.8% accuracy, the controversy highlighted persistent public concerns over transparency and accountability in the automated election system (AES). This case underscores the delicate balance between technological efficiency and public confidence, urging election administrators to prioritize not only system integrity but also communication, inclusivity, and citizen verification. Ultimately, it reveals how even technically sound systems can face crises of legitimacy if transparency and stakeholder engagement are insufficient.


This case study was developed using OpenAI’s ChatGPT-4o on April 24, 2025, as part of a guided research process. The prompt that shaped this case focused on presenting the role of technology in Philippine elections in the context of democracy—emphasizing accessibility for political science students by avoiding excessive technical detail. Particular attention was given to the role of the random manual audit, which, although not legally capable of overturning election results, serves as a crucial safeguard within the automated election system. The case content reflects a series of prior prompts and discussions centered on crafting political case studies, indicating that the model’s response drew from an ongoing, iterative engagement with the subject.



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