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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Comelec extends voting beyond May 12 in 15 polling precincts due to faulty ballots

Comelec extends voting beyond May 12 in 15 polling precincts due to faulty ballots

Published May 12, 2025 08:06 pm

At A Glance

  • The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is extending voting in at least 15 precincts nationwide due to unreadable ballots caused by faulty timing marks.
  • There is no declaration of a failure of elections.
  • The reprinted ballots are set to be delivered via military planes.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced the extension of voting in at least 15 precincts across the country after issues were discovered with the timing marks on certain ballots, which rendered them unreadable by the automated counting machines (ACMs).
Comelec office in Manila (Wikipedia)
Comelec office in Manila (Wikipedia)
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia confirmed the development in a press briefing on Monday, May 12.
He explained that while there was no declaration of a failure of the election, the voting process in the affected areas must be continued to avoid disenfranchising voters.
“Ngayon po, meron pong ilang presinto sa buong Pilipinas na mukhang kakailanganin namin i-extend yung kanilang botohan ("Right now, there are some precincts across the Philippines where it looks like we'll need to extend their voting),” Garcia said. 
“Meaning, walang declaration ng failure of election pero kinakailangan i-extend yung kanilang pagboto (In other words, there's no declaration of a failure of election, but it's necessary to extend their voting),” he added.
According to Garcia, the issue lies in the timing marks—black lines printed on the edges of ballots that ACMs use during the scanning process. These marks were reportedly too faint or unclear, preventing the machines from reading the ballots properly.
To resolve the issue swiftly, the Comelec has ordered the reprinting of ballots for the affected precincts. 
“We ordered immediately this afternoon the reprinting of the ballots in at least 15 precincts in different areas of the country,” Garcia said.
While the Comelec has yet to publicly disclose the exact locations of the affected precincts, Garcia emphasized that these do not appear likely to affect the overall outcome of the election. Still, he insisted that the poll body must proceed with the continuation of voting to uphold the rights of the voters.
Garcia added that they expect to transport the reprinted ballots via military planes by tomorrow to the concerned areas. A formal resolution is expected to be released soon by the Comelec detailing the actions to be taken regarding the extended voting.
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