Comelec says stamps may replace pens in future elections
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is still considering replacing shading pens with stamps in future elections.
However, Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia on Tuesday said that it could not be done in the upcoming 2025 midterm polls in May due to its cost.
“Stamping turned out to be very expensive. Hopefully, in the next elections, we could do stamping,” he said in a press conference after the end-to-end testing of the automated elections system at the Palacio del Gobernador in Manila.
If the budget permits, Garcia said the Comelec hopes to try stamping in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in December 2025.
“We hope, should the barangay and SK [elections] become automated, we could try stamping if ever,” he said.
Garcia also said they included the usage of stamps as one of the options under Comelec’s terms of reference (TOR) for the automated elections.
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Article continues after this advertisementLast year, Garcia said the Comelec was eyeing the usage of stamps in a bid to eliminate shading concerns, which had been the main issue in some electoral protests.
READ: Comelec eyes stamping instead of shading for 2025 polls
But the Comelec is also looking to lower the shading threshold to 15 percent in a move to prevent such concerns.