By: Pauline Ritchel Ramos
Photo from: RAPPLER
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has approved a 15 percent shading barrier for the May 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE), allowing even a single dot within the oval on a ballot to qualify as a legitimate vote. This is a historic decision meant to ensure voter inclusion. Since the nation's adoption of computerized elections in 2010, this is the lowest threshold that has been used.
In a recent interview, Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that the Commission's decision, which was recommended by the Project Management Office (PMO) and then approved by the Comelec en banc, will be at a threshold of 15 percent for the 2025 elections.
"All votes will be counted as long as they exceed 15 percent of the oval," Garcia said.
Compared to prior elections, when voters had to shade at least 25% (2019 and 2022) or even 50% (2013 and 2016) of the oval for their vote to be considered legitimate, the 15% requirement is a substantial decrease. The threshold was established at 20 percent in 2010, the first year computerized voting was implemented in the Philippines. Garcia said he is confident that a single dot will be enough to reach the 15 percent criteria for the marking pen that will be used the following year.
Garcia suggested that voters continue to shade the entire oval in spite of the reduced requirement in order to prevent any possible problems with the vote-counting equipment.
Garcia also urged political parties and candidates to assist in educating voters on how to properly fill out their votes. "We hope they [candidates] include voter education when they go out and campaign, especially on how to accomplish the ballots," he continued. He underlined that this component of voter education might reduce ballot marking errors and facilitate a more seamless voting process.
COMELEC on AI use
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) also justified its new regulations governing the use of social media and artificial intelligence (AI) for the 2025 midterm elections, promising the public that they will not limit candidates' freedom of expression.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia spoke on TeleRadyo Serbisyo about the relevance of Comelec Resolution 11064, which requires candidates to register their official social media accounts and disclose any use of generative AI in campaign materials. Failure to comply may result in takedown requests, and candidates are forbidden from deploying deep fakes or engaging in "coordinated inauthentic behavior."
Kontra Daya, an election watchdog, and the Makabayan Coalition both expressed worry about potential censorship. Kontra Daya stated that the restrictions risk limiting critical commentary, satire, and parody, while Makabayan cautioned that the rules could limit freedom of expression.
Garcia responded by clarifying that the Comelec will not meddle with content, but will instead govern the medium to ensure transparency. He asked skeptics to give the guidelines a chance, adding that social media regulations are unprecedented in Philippine election history and on par with tight regulations on traditional media platforms.
The campaign period for national candidates, including senators and party-list groups, will commence on February 11, 2025. Meanwhile, local campaigns for positions in the House of Representatives and various provincial, city, and municipal roles are scheduled to start on March 28.