More than 50 battery changes in ballot boxes cause queues and delays in voting in Birigui

More than 50 battery changes in ballot boxes cause queues and delays in voting in Birigui

Gates at the Professor Stélio Machado Loureiro State School were closed at 5pm, but, at 5:30pm, there were still two sections full of voters. The unit has 23 polling stations, and all were affected by the power outage due to the strong storm.

By Deivide Sacramento

Changing batteries in electronic voting machines caused queues and delays in voting in Birigui (SP) this Sunday (4). The state school had crowded sections after 5pm.

The problem occurred after a strong storm with winds of up to 90 km/h caused a power outage. About 13 of the 23 sections stopped in the morning.

It took around 50 battery changes throughout the day. A generator was taken to the site, but needed voltage adaptation.

The gates closed at 5pm, but voters voted until after 6:10pm. Teams worked in the city to contain damage caused by the rain.

Voters wait to vote in a crowded school in Birigui (SP) — Photo: Deivide Sacramento/TV TEM

Successive battery changes in electronic voting machines caused queues and delays in voting at the Professor Stélio Machado Loureiro State School, in the center of Birigui (SP), this Sunday (4). The gates were closed at 5pm, but at 5:30pm, there were still two sections full of voters.

The unit has 23 polling stations, and all were affected by the power outage due to the strong storm. The municipality was hit by winds of up to 90 km/h this Sunday, according to data from the Civil Defense of the State of São Paulo.

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According to TV TEM, around 10:30 am, some voting machines began to shut down because the batteries did not have enough autonomy to keep the equipment running. Throughout the morning, around 50 battery changes were required.

In the morning, around 13 of the 23 sections were stopped simultaneously to replace the batteries, which compromised the voting process and caused queues.

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The situation also affected voters who were already voting. In one of the cases, the ballot box turned off during the procedure, and the voter had to remain at school until he was able to complete the vote.

A generator was brought to the school to help supply energy, but it needed to undergo voltage adaptation to be connected to the building's electrical network.

The gates were closed at 5pm, the time scheduled for voting to close. However, voters who were already in line were able to remain in place to vote. At 6:10 pm, there were still people waiting to complete the procedure.

Storm caused damage in the city

Storm hit Birigui (SP) and caused trees to fall — Photo: Birigui City Hall/Disclosure

A task force was mobilized to respond to incidents caused by the storm, with teams from the Municipal Civil Guard, Civil Defense, Fire Department, municipal departments and Companhia Paulista de Força e Luz (CPFL).

The preliminary survey showed falling poles, damage and roofing to public buildings, two vehicles hit by trees and a roofless house.

City hall reported that teams are working at the most critical points to eliminate risk situations and free up affected roads.

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