Comelec asks pol parties, bets: Add voter education in campaign

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia during the press briefing at the poll body’s central office in Intramuros Manila, on Thursday, September 28, 2024. – Comelec urged candidates and political parties to include voter education in their campaigns for the 2025 polls. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said politicians and their parties can – for one – make a sample ballot to inform voters how to shade ballots properly. INQUIRER.net / NOY MORCOSO

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) urged candidates and political parties to include voter education in their campaigns for the 2025 polls.

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said politicians and their parties can – for one – make a sample ballot to inform voters how to shade ballots properly.

“It can be a lost chance if a voter likes you but does not know where or how to shade [the ballot]. I think that should be included in their campaigns, [how] to accomplish the ballots by voters,” Garcia said in a press briefing that followed the end-to-end testing of the automated election systems for the 2025 elections.

READ: Comelec: No printing of excess ballots for 2025 polls

Garcia admitted that Comelec’s two-month voter information drive from December 2, 2024, to January 30, 2025, may not be enough to reach everyone.

READ: Comelec may adopt new rule to make 15% shade on ballot valid

“Of course, the whole country is very wide. It may take two months for our voter information drive and our giving machines to all our election officers, but we may not reach all. So we need help even if it’s political parties and candidates,” the poll body chief said,

According to Garcia, they have witnessed voters struggling to shade ballots so voter information drive will help them understand how to shade ballots and use the automated counting machines properly.