Comelec clarifies only over 100,000 ballots had been found defective

Printing of AES ballots for the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections started at approximately 11:27 A.M on 23 January 2022, at the National Printing Office (NPO). COMELEC/Facebook

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) clarified on Thursday that only over 100,000 ballots, and not 5.2 million as initially announced, were so far found defective.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia explained that the initial count was 5.2 million because other ballots in the same batch as the defective ballots were also set aside for verification.

He explained that if one ballot is found defective, the remaining 999 ballots printed in the same batch will also be set aside because these may also be defective.

“So ilan talaga ang defective na nakita so far mula doon sa 5,288,268? It’s 105,350 ballots. ‘Yan po ang talagang defective, rejected,” Garcia said in a press briefing.

(So how many ballots are really defective out of the 5,288,268? It’s 105,350 ballots. These are really the defective and rejected ballots.)

Defective ballots are those with smudges, folds, excess lines, wrong cuts, and other printing errors, and are set to be shredded by the Comelec.

Out of the 5.2 million ballots that were set aside, Garcia said that 3.3 million were later found to be “good ballots.”

The remaining 1.9 million ballots are undergoing verification.

Over 49 million ballots have so far been printed for the May 9 national and local elections. Of this number, 37 million are considered “exited ballots” or those that have already gone through verification and quality control.

Garcia said the Comelec is still verifying the rest of the printed ballots.

The poll body is aiming to print over 67 million ballots for the May polls. He assured that the Comelec leadership will not allow any ballot to go missing and unaccounted for.