The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) attributed the malfunction of some Automated Counting Machines (ACMs) specifically the ejection of accepted ballots to the extreme heat experienced during election day.
According to COMELEC Chairman George Garcia, although the ACMs do not stop operating, they eject ballots that they had already previously accepted.
One of the affected areas was New Era Elementary School, prompting the commission to immediately deploy contingency machines to prevent any disruption in the voting process.
Garcia admitted that the intensity of the heat was unusual and unexpected. He also noted that the growing number of voters further added to the strain on the machines.
He clarified, however, that ACMs are precinct-specific, and ballots cannot be read or processed by machines assigned to other precincts.
COMELEC is also investigating reports about indelible ink that was allegedly easy to remove. Garcia said the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has examined the ink and confirmed that, even when exposed to other chemicals, it should not be easily removed within a few days.
He also emphasized that the indelible inks were not expired. Any change in their color or effectiveness, he said, may have been caused by the unusually high temperatures on election day.
