MANILA, Philippines — Some automated counting machines deployed for the midterm elections on Monday, May 12, appear to be rejecting ballots due to the extreme heat, according to the Commission on Elections.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia told reporters that the ballots are eventually accepted when reinserted into the machines but this is slowing down the voting process.
"Due to the heat, it's really the machines – just a few of them – are heating up. These don't shut down, but they spit out the ballot," Garcia said in mixed English and Filipino.
While voting, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also encountered a brief glitch when his ballot was initially rejected by the automated counting machine, but it was successfully accepted on his second attempt.
Garcia said the poll body is sending "contingency machines" to affected areas, including the precinct in New Era Elementary School in Quezon City, where some machines are reportedly rejecting ballots inserted on numerous attempts.
"This is unusual. We didn't anticipate today's extreme heat and humidity. Inside the precincts, it's extremely hot," the Comelec chairperson added.
The Comelec chairperson also mentioned that some voters at priority polling places are insisting on personally feeding their ballots into machines, contrary to protocol, which is further slowing the process.
"For example, at BuCor, ballots should be brought to the precinct and fed into the machine by staff. But some voters are insisting on bringing their ballots to the precinct themselves," he said, referring to the voting process for persons deprived
Garcia advised voters to bring water and stay hydrated while casting their votes at polling precincts.
He also appealed for patience as long queues formed throughout the day, noting that some senior citizens and persons with disabilities, who did not avail of the early voting option, joined the regular 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. voting period.
At least 68 million voters are expected to participate in the midterm elections, which will decide, among others, 12 Senate seats, 63 party-list seats, hundreds of district representative positions, and more than 18,000 local government posts across the country.
