Only about 0.3% of all installed and checked voting machines gave an error at the beginning of election day. According to the Ministry of Electronic Governance, problems were reported in approximately 20 devices out of a total of 9354 machines used in the sections in the country.
For the first time, a check of 100% of the machines was carried out before the beginning of election day, and the information about the established cases is received to the Ministry of Electronic Governance through the regional governors and the Council of Ministers. They emphasize that the number of affected machines is "minimal" and their percentage compared to the total number is practically negligible.
Wrong date and time, but without risk to the vote
In some cases, printing of old date and time on the receipts from machine voting was registered. The technicians of the contractor "Ciela Norma" promptly visit all machines with a similar problem and re-check the date and time.
The Ministry of Electronic Governance specifies that this type of discrepancy is not grounds for the machine to be withdrawn from the election process. After correcting the settings, the device is considered suitable for voting and can be used normally by voters.
Problems with starting due to batteries
The other main group of problems is related to the inability of the machine to start at the beginning of election day. In most cases, the reason is a discharged battery, due to a lack of power supply in the respective section during the night.
Such situations are most often observed in schools, where electricity is usually turned off in the dark part of the day. Upon restoration of the power supply, the machines can be turned on and function normally.
No reports of software defects
The Ministry of Electronic Governance announces that they have not received information about problems related to the software of the voting machines so far. The reported errors are of a technical nature and are subject to rapid removal on the spot.
According to the institution's data, the overall picture from the beginning of election day shows stable operation of the voting machines and confirms that the technical risks are largely contained.