Vote Machine Fails: Ikere Voters Can’t Show Their Faces

IKERE, Nigeria – Some voters in Ikere could not cast their ballots on Saturday. The reason: a biometric machine failed to recognize their faces. The device, called BVAS, is designed to scan a voter’s face and fingerprint. It checks this data against the official voter list. If the match fails, the person cannot vote. Witnesses said several prospective voters left their polling units in disappointment. They stood in line but could not complete the verification process. The machine did not capture their biometric details. Election officials did not immediately comment on the problem. It is unclear how many voters were affected or if the issue has been fixed.