Problems with machine voting in Burgas: blank receipts and crumpled ballots

19.04.2026 | Burgas

Two polling stations in Burgas and Pomorie stopped machine voting due to problems with the devices. The Regional Election Commission is investigating 7 more reports. Frustrated voters are switching to paper ballots.

Снимка от European Parliament, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

Problems with machine voting in Burgas continue. Machine voting has been stopped in two sections – this is section № 20 in Pomorie and section № 255 in Burgas.

The Regional Election Commission stated that when voting with the device, the machines print blank receipts or print crumpled ballots. The REC is also working on 7 more signals related to a problem with the machines in other sections, and it will become clear whether voting with devices will be stopped there.

Early in the election day, in section № 67, there was also a problem with the machine, as it turned out that the section election commission had not plugged the device into the power supply, but was working only with the help of a battery. This frustrated some voters who were unable to cast their vote by machine and had to vote with a ballot.