Voters, poll watchers question glitches as broken machines stall long lines at precincts
MANILA, Philippines — Barely halfway through election day, broken voter machines and technical difficulties forced voters to wait hours under the sun just to practice their right to suffrage.
The Commission on Elections has admitted that it recorded almost 1,900 voting machines marred with "common issues" around the country including paper jams, rejected ballots, and printing complications.
Even in sites without any technical difficulties — including Loyola Grand Villas and the adjacent Miriam College — voters who arrived in the early morning were still in line by 3 p.m. Accounts of similar experiences around the country have since gone viral on social media.
At the Pinyahan Elementary School precinct in Quezon City, Comelec electoral board third member Rowena Nilo told Philstar.com that one vote-counting machine's SD card was corrupted and taken by a technician.
She admitted there was no assurance it could be replaced today, adding that voters were instead made to choose if they want to wait or trust Comelec to insert their votes later on in the day, which would be witnessed by poll watchdog groups present in the area.
Comelec electoral board third member Rowena Nilo says the machine's SD card was corrupted and taken by on-site technician. Says no assurance it can be replaced today. Voters made to choose if they want to wait or trust Comelec to insert their votes later. @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/ETDBz0ykis
— Franco Luna (@francoIuna) May 9, 2022
In the very next room in Pinyahan, a VCM malfunctioned and stopped working altogether after being turned on earlier in the morning. The Comelec, again, gave no time as to when it could send over a replacement.
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting area volunteer lead Limuel Lopez told Philstar.com that the two VCMs had everything to do with the long lines around the center.
"What's happening now is the inserting of votes is manual, so the people are getting frustrated and the lines are getting longer," he said in Filipino.
At the Teacher's Village East precinct, two corrupted SD cards also forced a number of voters to wait from 6 a.m. to 12 noon. 24-year-old voter Maia Dapul told Philstar.com that the machines in question had been broken from the very start since the precinct opened.
"We were waiting for a technician to arrive since then. They only got an update that a technician was on the way at 9 a.m. and they only arrived at 11:40," she said, adding that a number of voters eventually left their place in line out of frustration.
"I was here for 5 hours and I can feel the frustration from everyone, that the start of the day it was already broken," she added in mixed Filipino and English.
Comelec technician Kyle Cruz could not say when the replacement SD cards would arrive since they would be coming from the Comelec main office in Malacanang.
He added that the SD cards were working fine when they were tested three days ago, while no other person had access to them. He could not say why the SD card corruption happened in two sites.
52-year-old poll watcher Cherry Jane Cortiguerra, who is with the office of Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte lamented the sudden breakage at Teacher's Village East which eventually left just one vote-counting machine functioning for the entire site.
"I've been voting here for so long. This is the first time this has happened, and it took them so long to arrive," she told Philstar.com in Filipino. "How could they let that happen? They should have prepared for it."
Delays due to malfunctioning vote-counting machines have worsened at Celedonio Salvador Elementary School in Paco, Manila. Many voters are still unable to cast their votes. Some have been in the queue since morning.
— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) May 9, 2022
VCMs started malfunctioning at 6 a.m. pic.twitter.com/qKWiZZGEJf
Why does this matter?
In those cases, voters are left with a choice: leave their ballots to the Comelec personnel to insert for them later on — possibly via manual counting if the machines aren't repaired on time — or wait for the repairs so they can insert their votes personally.
"If that's going to happen, I want to witness it. I need to know my receipt is correct and that my vote is being counted properly. If that means I have to wait until 7 p.m., I might just do that," Dapul said.
Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting volunteer Tranqui Encarnacion told Philstar.com that errors like this leave the door open for manipulation later on.
"It really makes you wonder why they worked during the final test, but suddenly during the election day," he said. "What if the new SD cards already have data on them? Poll watchers should really keep watch."
What could have gone better? "They should have reported it straight to the Comelec," he said in Filipino, pointing out that the Comelec's personnel only arrived to take the corrupt SD card hours after the problem was reported to voters in line. "It should have been much earlier."
In a statement, election watchdog Kontra Data urged the commission to extend the time of voting past the original 7 p.m. schedule, saying that with the delays, "there is a high probability that many voters would be unable to vote by 7:00 p.m."
"Kontra Daya has received reports of voters going home after being unable to wait due to long lines or the arrival of replacement machines. This is a clear case of voter disenfranchisement," it said.
"Extending voting hours will enable more voters to cast their votes and allow time for COMELEC to resolve issues with voting."
But at a press briefing Monday afternoon, Comelec commissioner and election lawyer George Garcia said that "nothing would justify" such an extension.
"At least we have repair hubs this time. What's important is that the poll watchers see that we put them in the VCMs. They're our contingency. We have no choice because machines break," Garcia said.
"The purpose of the testing is really to print a zero receipt, to show voters that the machines are empty. But that doesn't guarantee that the machine won't have problems. What's important is that it counts correctly."
Same situation here in Teacher's Village East. Two VCMs with corrupted SD cards that technicians swear were working during their final test. Some voters here have been waiting in line since 6 a.m. Comelec already put up a "willing to wait area" for broken machines. @PhilstarNews pic.twitter.com/FpVWkkTDsu
— Franco Luna (@francoIuna) May 9, 2022
In a separate statement sent to media, the Commission on Human Rights said that it noted long-standing, recurring human rights violations attributed to the elections such as the disenfranchisement of several vulnerable groups including indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens; along with vote-buying, electoral fraud, voter intimidation and harassment, and election-related violence.
"The strong shift to digital platforms, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, has also enabled the proliferation of fake news and massive disinformation campaigns by troll armies online," the CHR's statement read.
"As concerned citizens, let us uphold the sanctity of our ballots. Let us collectively safeguard the freedom, integrity, and credibility of our votes. We implore the public to stay vigilant for any irregularities or misdemeanors during the conduct of the general elections."
— with reports from Kaycee Valmonte
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