'Glitches' mar Comelec mock polls in Quezon City

"Glitches" marred the Commission on Elections mock polls at the UNTV compound in Quezon City, a television report said Thursday. GMA Network's Flash Report said that two hours into the simulation polls that started at 7 a.m., two ballots were rejected by the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines. One of the rejected ballots was that of Daniel Razon, a UNTV host and producer.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV According to the report, Razon used a ballpen instead of the official ballot marker. Yet it was not the reason why the ballot was rejected, but the defective security markings. Also, the report quoted Smartmatic (provider of the automated polls paraphernalia) as saying that a ballpen could be used but the official marker is most preferable. According to the report, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez clarified that the defective ballot was intentionally included to see how the board of elections inspectors (BEIs) react in the event a ballot is rejected. Jimenez said simulation ballots were used in the exercise and made assurances that come May 10, the ballots would be 100-percent authenticated. As of 9 a.m., 65 voters were able to cast their votes in a process that took five to seven minutes to accomplish for each participant. One thousand voters were expected to participate in the mock polls. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV