By Gabriela Baron
With less than an hour to go before the voting ends, poll watchdog Kontra Daya urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend voting hours beyond 7:00 p.m.
Citing media reports, Kontra Daya said about 1,800 vote counting machines have malfunctioned, which potentially affected 1.1 million voters or about 2% of the voting population.
“With the volume of reports coming in to Kontra Daya regarding vote counting machine breakdowns, as well as the longer required to vote due to enforcement of health protocols, there is a high probability that many voters would be unable to vote by 7:00 p.m.,” Kontra Daya said.
“Already, Kontra Daya has received reports of voters going home after being unable to wait due to long lines or the arrival of replacement machines. This is a clear case of voter disenfranchisement,” it added.
Kontra Daya said extending voting hours “will enable more voters to cast their votes and allow time for Comelec to resolve issues with voting.” -ag
