The Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) has reported significant issues with unreadable election returns (ERs) in the recent Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
Serious Implications for Election Integrity
You can see the QR code and there is a blank strip in the center. Because of that blank strip, this ER cannot be read. And that means, you cannot read the votes of at most 600 people, the votes of an entire precinct.
Ana Singson, PPCRV Spokesperson
- 1% of the audited ERs were unreadable, affecting around 600 votes per precinct.
- The PPCRV audited 1,826 ERs, identifying 11 that could not be scanned.
According to PPCRV spokesperson Ana Singson, this issue primarily affects the manual auditing of electronically transmitted votes, undermining the verification process crucial for ensuring electoral integrity.
In conducting its parallel count of results from 5,212 precincts, the PPCRV aims to cross-verify the electronically transmitted data against the physical ERs.
Singson emphasized that if ERs are not scannable, the corresponding votes cannot be audited. This discrepancy is particularly concerning as the 2028 national and local elections approach.
The PPCRV previously flagged similar issues during the 2025 midterm elections, indicating a recurring problem that could have significant electoral consequences.
Singson called for immediate action from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to resolve these issues, stressing that even a small percentage of unreadable ERs can impact tight races.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia acknowledged the concerns raised by the PPCRV, pointing to the quality of election materials and the need for ongoing improvements.
The PPCRV is set to conclude its unofficial count of ERs by Wednesday, further highlighting the urgency of addressing these electoral challenges.