Valenzuela poll problem: Dry markers

MANILA, Philippines - Six hours after polling precincts opened yesterday, members of the Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) in Valenzuela City were already asking for additional ballot markers as the initial supply provided by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) were already running out of ink.

Estrella Rubio, an inspector at the General T. De Leon Elementary School, said they immediately requested for new markers when they received complaints from voters that they cannot shade their ballots because the markers were already dry.

Rubio said they had to shake most of the markers in order for them to function. She noted, however, that these may not last until 7 p.m. as there were still a lot of people who had yet to vote.

Election officer Vincent Cruz of Valenzuela’s first district said they only have 60 spare markers for precincts requesting replacements.

“But we were told that we can use regular pens (as substitute to markers),” he said in an interview with The STAR.

Election officer Roderick Villostas of Valenzuela’s second district also confirmed that voters can use regular ballpens to shade their ballots as the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines can still read the votes.

The Comelec head office has yet to confirm if regular pens can be used as alternative to the ballot markers.

In a Twitter post, former Comelec commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said felt tip marker can be used as substitute markers. He said he would not recommend the use of ballpoint pens.