Voters advised to avoid smudging ballots
SENSITIVE MACHINE. Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting spokesperson Ana Singson reminds voters to avoid smudges in their ballots during a press briefing at the election watchdog’s command center in Manila on Monday (May 12, 2025). Singson said the PPCRV received reports that some vote-counting machines are tallying votes not shaded by voters due to smudges or stray marks. (Photo courtesy of Rod Lagusad/PTV)
MANILA, Philippines – The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) has received reports that some automated counting machines are tallying votes due to smudges or stray marks, following a change in the vote-reading sensitivity for the 2025 elections.
In a media briefing at the election watchdog’s headquarters in Manila on Monday, PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson reminded voters to handle their ballots carefully and inspect them thoroughly before submission, citing that vote threshold for counting ovals has been lowered from 25 percent to 15 percent.
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“Please be very careful when handling. Please be very careful that you don’t put any marks, and please before you accept your ballots make sure there are no marks, even a small dot, the machine may read that as a vote, so let’s just play safe,” Singson said in mixed English and Filipino.
Singson explained that the PPCRV’s call center received various reports of unexpected votes showing up in the results.
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One voter, for example, claimed to have selected only four senatorial candidates, but the receipt reflected eight.
“That’s why we always refer back to the random manual audit, which checks the accuracy of the machines,” she said.
The PPCRV assured the public that it continues to monitor complaints and anomalies, while emphasizing the importance of proper ballot handling and full cooperation with the election process. (PNA)
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