Comelec destroys defective, roadshow ballots ahead of Election Day

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday began the destruction of defective and roadshow ballots, two days before the national and local elections on Monday, May 9.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia led the destruction of unused or defective official ballots, roadshow ballots, and other accountable forms in the presence of the media, political parties, and other observers at the National Printing Office in Quezon City.

Garcia said the polls body’s quality control efforts found the ballots to be destroyed as having defects such as smudges, wrong color, and wrong size, among other defects.

For his part, newly-appointed Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the total number of ballots to be destroyed are 933,311.

These are composed of 586,988 defective official ballots and 346,323 roadshow ballots which were used by the Comelec for its voters’ education campaign.

Laudiangco said all the defective and roadshow ballots will be destroyed for three days, eight hours daily.

A total of 67,442,616 official ballots were printed by Comelec for the 2022 elections.

The Comelec on Thursday said all of the vote counting machines and official ballots that will be used for the May 9 polls have already been distributed all over the country. —KG, GMA News