NAVOTAS City Mayor John Reynald Tiangco filed on Monday a certificate of challenge after the receipt of the ballot he cast was read "overvote."
At around 8 a.m., Tiangco cast his vote alongside his spouse, Barbie, at the Navotas Central Elementary School. He filled out all the spaces designated for senatorial candidates, party-list representatives, and even local elective posts.
Nevertheless, the Navotas mayor was taken aback when, after the vote was cast and he received a receipt, it indicated an "overvote."
“I was shocked when the receipt of my voted ballot showed ‘overvote,’ even though I had filled in all the circles completely and accurately for both senatorial candidates from the full slate as well as party-list representatives and local officials,” Tiangco informed The Manila Times through Viber.
This is why he mentioned that he promptly submitted the certificate of challenge at the local Comelec office.
Based on information from Comelec, the voting counting equipment provided by Miru Systems can process votes as long as the circles are at least 15 percent shaded.
This implies that as long as the mark doesn’t extend into the adjacent circles, it’s acceptable to cross the lines slightly.
The election commission stated that overvoting happens when a voter marks more candidates than allowed for a specific role, like selecting more than twelve names for senators or choosing multiple party-list groups.