Some voters in Dagupan City were forced to wait after a ballot scanning machine broke down early morning on Monday at a local polling precinct.

Voting was delayed for over 30 minutes at West Central Elementary School 1 in Dagupan City around 7 a.m. on May 12 after a vote-counting machine (ACM) failed to issue a voter receipt.

According to Electoral Board Chairman Roda Mejia, the problem started when a voter inserted a ballot that was crumpled slightly into the machine.

"Lagi namin sinasabi sa kanila na huwag tupiin. At 'yung pag-shade, huwag masyadong madiin," Mejia said.

He added the ballots used this election are thinner and more sensitive compared to previous ones.

With the help of a technical support team, the ballot was fed successfully into the machine on the second try. However, the issue occured again at past 8 a.m., requiring the machine to be cleaned.

"Kailangang linisin ang scanner every now and then," Juna Ballesteros, the technician, said.

Two ballots were eventually rejected by the machine, meaning they were no longer counted, the electoral board confirmed.

In another precinct, a ballot was not accepted, initially, but the issue was resolved within five minutes.

Despite these glitches, Dagupan City Election Officer, Atty. Michael Franks Sarmiento, assured the public that voting remained smooth overall.

"Wala namang naitalang major glitches except sa mga minor glitch na na-troubleshoot naman agad," Sarmiento said.