Election Commission Addresses Mislabeled Ballots
The Commission on Elections has resolved the issue of mislabeled ballots in some precincts in Zamboanga City and Dumaguete City. According to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), the problem stemmed from errors during the processing of ballots in automated counting machines.
PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson explained that the discrepancy between the number of registered voters who actually cast their votes and the ballots counted was caused by ballots being scanned multiple times. “Sometimes the machines will reject the ballot. So it’s already scanned once, and then you put it in again, it’s scanned again. So it’s actually scanned twice for one voter,” she said during a press briefing.
Because of this, the Commission on Elections labeled the total scanned ballots— which includes valid, rejected, and returned ballots—as the actual ballots cast. However, this was a mislabeling of data, as the scanned figures should have reflected only the valid ballots.
Correction of Scanned Ballots Data
Singson further clarified, “So the error was that the data they showed, they mislabeled it. They showed the data that was scanned when they should have shown the data of the actual valid number of ballots. That has since been adjusted.” This correction addressed the confusion caused by the initial report.
The PPCRV initially raised concerns after noticing an unusually high number of votes coming from precincts in both cities. For example, on May 13, data from a Dumaguete precinct showed 930 registered voters with 814 voters who participated, but the votes counted totaled 956, which exceeded the number of voters.
Following the correction on May 15, the actual number of voters and valid ballots cast were confirmed to be equal at 814, clearing up the irregularity.
Progress in Nationwide Vote Transmission
The PPCRV has now received the final batch of transmitted votes as of May 15. Singson reported that they have collected 99.12% of election returns from 92,808 precincts nationwide.
“So after today, we won’t make any updates to the unofficial parallel counts…I have to say this is one of the highest that we have gotten and very quickly too,” she added, highlighting the smooth progress of vote transmission.
Ensuring Transparency in Mislabeled Ballots
The swift correction of mislabeled ballots reflects the commitment to maintain transparency and accuracy in the election process. By clarifying the difference between scanned ballots and actual valid ballots, election authorities aim to uphold voter confidence.
Moreover, the close monitoring by watchdog groups ensures that discrepancies are promptly identified and addressed, reinforcing the integrity of the automated voting system.
For more updates on election transparency, visit Filipinokami.com.