THE COMMISSION on Elections XI warned voters ahead of May 12 National and Local Elections to properly shade the circle beside the names of the political candidates in the official ballots.
Comelec XI assistant regional director Atty. Gay Enumerables said shading the circle properly with the provided marking pen will not create blots and eventually record overvoting.
This follows a circulating post online claiming that official ballots are sensitive and prone to over voting due to ink bleeding from the marker.
“When the front is shaded, it might blot to the back page due to the thick ink of the pen but it will not affect the back page as the circles are not aligned,” Enumerables said during the Kapihan sa PIA on Friday.
Comelec posted on Facebook on Thursday that the official ballots have undergone rigid quality assurance and the National Printing Office.
“Ang tamang paraan ng pagboto ay ang buong pag-shade sa loob ng pulang bilog sa tabi ng pangalan ng kandidato gamit ang opisyal na marking pen mula sa Comelec,” the post read.
The ballots, it added, are ink-absorbent and compatible with the official marking pen.
Enumerables said bringing of kodigo or sample ballots on the election day is allowed to avoid being overwhelmed by the number of candidates and ease the voting process.
However, the sample ballots should be provided to voters prior to the election day and not on the exact election day as it will be considered campaigning.
“Naa tay kodigo kay daghan raba ta og botohan, so might as well we have our own kodigo. Vut the sample ballots given on the day of the elections is prohibited,” she stressed.
The sample ballots should not bear the Comelec logo as it is not an official ballot from the office.
