What was expected to be a smooth and decisive midterm election day on Monday was marred by a series of technical hiccups and voter complaints — casting a shadow over the country’s democratic process.
From overheated machines to suspicious ballots, voters across the country faced hurdles that delayed, disrupted, and, in some cases, derailed their chance to cast their vote.
Counting machine chaos
Automated Counting Machines (ACMs), central to the country’s digitized election process, experienced widespread technical issues. According to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia, several ACMs overheated due to high temperatures, causing them to reject ballots.
“Because of the heat, a few of the machines started heating up. They didn’t completely shut down, but they did start spitting out ballots,” Garcia explained.
In Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte, a delay in the delivery of ACMs led to a late start in voting, further fueling frustrations.
Meanwhile, an alarming incident occurred in Marawi City, where an ACM was deliberately doused with water in the early hours of the day. The attacker fled the scene, but authorities quickly replaced the machine.
In Navotas, two machines suddenly stopped functioning. Fortunately, they were revived with a simple cleaning. “ACMs come with cleaning kits. In Navotas, they cleaned the machines and they worked again,” said Ana De Villa Singson, spokesperson for the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
Voter frustrations mount
Beyond machine malfunctions, troubling reports of pre-shaded ballots and vote discrepancies sparked outrage on social media.
In Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City, a voter alleged that a ballot already had a party-list shaded in before she even voted. Although she raised it with the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI), her concerns were reportedly dismissed.
A similar incident occurred in Camarines Sur, where Maria Theresa Bonot claimed that her ballot already had shaded choices for a governor, senator, and several barangay officials. She posted a warning on Facebook:
“Voters, please read and check your ballot before signing. Our votes are our sovereign rights.”
Actor Khalil Ramos also shared his voting mishap on Instagram. His party-list vote was invalidated due to over-voting — the result of heavy shading that caused the ink to bleed through to the back. “Be extra careful when shading your ballots,” he urged his followers.
In General Trias, a voter at Governor Ferrer Memorial Integrated National High School reported that the ACM could not read his ballot. He left it with a polling officer, unsure if it would still be counted.
Another frustrated voter took to Facebook after noticing that the names of the candidates he chose did not appear on his printed receipt.
“Halong inis at dismaya grabe. Importante sakin ang BOTO ko (A mix of frustration and disappointment. My VOTE is important),” he wrote.
A call for accountability
As the dust settles, many are now calling for greater accountability and improved safeguards to ensure these technical failures and ballot issues don’t undermine the legitimacy of the elections.
After all, every vote matters — and every voter deserves a fair shot at having their voice heard.