The Commission on Elections expects a higher turnout of voters on Monday, May 9, compared to the 2019 midterm elections, Acting Negros Occidental Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar said on Sunday, May 8.
Historically more voters turn out during presidential elections because of the heated national campaigns, he said.
Negros Occidental, including Bacolod City, has 1,946,639 registered voters making it the sixth province with the highest number of voters in the country, Salazar said.
Salazar said they are all set for Monday’s polls and have already replaced 17 Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) found defective during the final testing and sealing in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City on Friday and Saturday.
Among the defects of the 17 VCMs were failure to scan, ballot jams, misreading of ballots and damaged printers, he said.
The defective VCMs that were sent to the nearest Regional VCM Repair Hub in Cebu City were expected to arrive back in Negros Occidental late Sunday, Salazar said.
Negros Occidental has 50 contingency VCMs and Bacolod City has 2 in case of any breakdown on Election Day, he added.
Salazar also said security requirements for the voting centers have been deployed. Quick Reaction Teams of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines are also in place, he said.*