---
On Tuesday, electoral commissioners representing two political parties expressed their disapproval of State Elections Commission (SEC) Alternate Chairwoman Jessika Padilla Rivera’s announcement that early voting ballots would be manually counted instead of using machines.
The electoral commissioners stated they plan to appeal her ruling to the island Supreme Court.
This ruling was made due to the counting machines’ inability to read the X’s that voters use to indicate their choices on the ballots. On Monday, the SEC recommended that voters fill in the space for their preferred candidates rather than marking it with an X.
The electoral commissioners claimed that this choice, based on Padilla Rivera’s interpretation of a ruling issued by Judge Raúl Candelario López in a case initiated by the New Progressive Party (NPP) on Sunday, alters the electoral rules at the last minute.
“Today, as we are wrapping up several issues in the commission, the chairperson informs us that her interpretation of this part of the decision is that work will continue on the JAVAA votes past 5 p.m., contrary to our statement that all of it should proceed to the scrutiny,” remarked PDP Alternate Electoral Commissioner Gerardo Antonio “Toñito” Cruz Maldonado during a press conference. “In response to some suggestions made by colleagues who have been working extended hours, including 12-hour shifts, the chairperson conceded that it would continue tomorrow. But this violates the regulations we all agreed upon.”
“This is perilous,” he added.
MVC Electoral Commissioner Lillian Aponte Dones remarked that “[w]ith this ruling, the alternate chairperson exacerbates the already waning credibility of the electoral process and caters to the NPP’s attempts to evade compliance with the legal and regulatory standards governing this election.”
“The alternate chairwoman lacks the authority to invalidate the relevant provisions of the regulations. Furthermore, it’s incorrect to claim that the court has ruled on this issue,” Aponte Dones stated. “The ruling upon which the NPP based its argument solely addressed the institutional balance in the counting process. It did not pertain to the applicable regulations.”
Judge Candelario López concluded that the early voting counting process must proceed without interruption, even if a political party is not represented at the counting boards.
