Vote counting machine bogs down in Tuburan elementary school

This Vote Counting Machine (VCM) in one of the precints in Tuburan bogged down. (CDN PHOTO/VICTOR ANTHONY V. SILVA)

VOTING in one of the clustered precincts in Mangga Elementary School in Tuburan town stopped after a vote-counting machine (VCM) bogged down.

Technical coordinator Emil Quindiagan said they tried feeding 10 ballots since the voting center opened at 7 a.m. but these were rejected by the VCM.

“We tried to fix it but it seems it’s beyond our control,” he said.

Quindiagan said they asked for a contingency unit from the National Technical Support Center but they were told they will not get one.

He said they can ask voters to fill up their ballots and place them in envelopes.

Once all voters finished their ballots will be fed to a VCM of another polling precinct in the same voting center.

Quindiagan said the memory card of the malfunctioned VCM will be transferred to a working unit once the voters in the other precinct are done casting their votes.

Orwen Bonghanoy, lawyer of Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante, visited the precinct and moved for the suspension of the voting until the technical glitches are solved.

“We need to maintain the secrecy and authenticity of the ballots so they won’t be manipulated,” he said.

But Tuburan election officer Carla Espina said voting in the precinct will continue despite a malfunctioned VCM.