Comelec targets 1.5M ballots daily as it resumes printing Monday

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has a target of producing 1.5 million ballots daily as it resumes printing for the 2025 national and local elections on Monday.

Given the shortened time frame for printing official ballots, the ComelecEn Banc approved the increase in daily overall ballot production, based on a resolution obtained by GMA Integrated News.

Before printing was postponed due to changes necessitated by a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court and other developments, the poll body was aiming to print one million ballots daily.

The Comelec will also prioritize the following locations/activities as it begins reprinting ballots for the May polls:

1. Mock Elections
2. Overseas Voting
3. Final Testing and Sealing
4. BARMM-Regular
5. BARMM-Parliament
6. Caraga
7. Region XII
8. Local Absentee Voting
9. Region II (Batanes)
10. Region V
11. Cordillera Administrative Region
12. Region I
13. Region II
14. Region III

The Comelec has deputized the National Printing Office (NPO) to ensure the “proper, satisfactory, and timely” completion of the reprinting of the official ballots. 

The poll body postponed the printing of ballots following the issuance of the Supreme Court (SC) of fresh temporary restraining orders (TROs) against the disqualification of some aspirants.

According to Comelec chairperson George Garcia, each printed ballot costs P22 apiece, which means the "useless" six million ballots that could no longer be used cost around P132 million. 

Despite the delays, Garcia assured the 2025 elections will still proceed on schedule on May 12.
—RF, GMA Integrated News