About 3,500 reports of possible election-related anomalies were reported after the official voting period for national and local elections ended on May 9.

Based on the report by VoteReportPH on their Twitter account as of 10 p.m., 521 unique verified election incidents were documented. Reports of Voting Counting Machines (VCMs) errors with 43.2%, electioneering having 10%, and 6.7% for election process errors.

VCMs have common problems: paper jam, rejected ballots, VCM scanner, VCM printer not printing, and VCM not printing properly.

“Kapag may VCM malfunction at hindi magamit pansamantala, pwede kang maghintay na maayos ang problema, o Pwede mo iwan ang balota mo sa electoral board, para sila ang mag ba-batch feed ng mga balota pag gumagana na ang makina.” Commission on Elections (COMELEC) director James Jimenez said in a tweet. 

However, 30 minutes before polls close, reports nationwide claim that people are still queued inside and outside schools, waiting for their turn to vote.

These anomalies pushed the voters and watchdogs to call for an extension of voting hours to the COMELEC.

“We can extend the voting hours up to the time that we have accommodated everyone within the vicinity of voting centers,” COMELEC chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said at a press briefing.

This extension of voting hours allows more people to vote and gives the COMELEC more time to settle election-related difficulties.