The PCOS machine blues: paper jams, rejected ballots and makeshift tools

For such a complex device as a PCOS machine, with all its myriad parts, Murphy's Law certainly holds true: anything that can go wrong will go wrong — and at the worst possible time. And sure enough, in several polling precincts around the country, the vote count was delayed as some precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines malfunctioned. In Marikina City, around 1000 voters were affected after two PCOS machines in a polling precinct rejected ballots earlier in the day, according to a report by GMA News' Hadji Rieta. But citizens continued to vote, with their ballots to be fed into a functioning PCOS machine later. Meanwhile in Taguig City, voting was delayed after an error with the thermal paper printer was found, according to GMA News' Steve Dailisan. “Noong una naming binuksan ang PCOS machine, 'yung thermal paper printer, hindi gumagana,” according to a poll official, though the elections pushed through despite this. In G.B. Memorial School in Batangas City, there was a delay in the count as only 200 out of  981 ballots were accepted by the PCOS machine, according to GMA News' Jay Taruc. According to the Batangas police, around 14 PCOS machines malfunctioned in the province. The jam Also, a few PCOS machines experienced paper jams, which required some ad hoc solutions from election inspectors. In Corazon Elemtary School in Quezon City, an umbrella was used to push in ballots that were being incorrectly stacked by a PCOS machine, according to a report by GMA News' Pia Arcangel. A similar incident in a precinct in Sorsogan had poll officials use a stick to push ballots into the ballot box, according to GMA News' Sherrie Ann Torres. Voting was also delayed in Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Pampanga when a PCOS machine got jammed, forcing the poll officials to use a “walis-tingting” to push the ballots in, according to GMA News' Lia Mañalac-Del Castillo. Memory card problems In Isabela province, citing provincial Comelec officials, GMA News' Jay Sabale reported that at least sixteen PCOS machines in their province malfunctioned. The start of voting in Ilagan East Central School was delayed for 30 minutes after a PCOS machine failed to turn on properly, according to a report by GMA News' Jay Sabale. “Pagbukas ko sa PCOS machine, ang lumalabas, nagsha-shut down siya. Naalarma ako at tumagal ito ng 30 minutes,” said Board of Election Inspector (BEI) Anabelle Ortiz. “Inalis ko nalang ang back-up memory card at ang natira nalang ay iyong main menu card, pagkatapos noon, in-operate ko siya at tuloy tuloy na ang [pag-operate] ng PCOS machine namin,” she explained. The replacements Earlier, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, in an interview for GMA News' Eleksyon 2013 special coverage Monday, acknowledged some PCOS machines would have to be replaced. According to the Jimenez, voters would not need to transfer to another precinct as the new hardware would be delivered to the same precinct office. Meanwhile, Cesar Flores, president of PCOS supplier Smartmatic Asia, said that it was "natural" that some PCOS machines would need replacing. "I think it's regular, what's going on during the day that there would be a need for replacing machines. Same as 2010," he said. Around 78,000 machines were distributed around 40,000 locations nationwide, Flores said. — Amanda Fernandez/DVM, GMA News