Public domain image- The Comission on Elections reiterated its warning to voters not to take selfies with ballots
- The Comelec said it is in accordance with the rules that prohibits one to reproduce or make a copy of one’s ballot
- Commissioner Arthur Lim said the poll body has recorded nine cases of voters taking selfies with ballots
The Comission on Elections (Comele) once again warned voters not to take selfies with the ballots.
In an article written by Pia Gutierrez of ABS-CBN, it was disclosed that the call came as Comelec recorded nine cases of voters taking selfies with ballots in Singapore, Dubai, Hong Kong, Brunei, Vientienne Laos and Madrid.
“We will have it investigated by our law department to determine whether there is probable cause, and to determine whether we have jurisdiction over it,” said Comelec Commissioner Arthur Lim.
The poll body noted that such act is not allowed; in accordance with the rules which prohibit the reproduction or making a copy of one’s ballot. This is to ensure the protection of the vote.
“A photograph is a copy,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez explained.
Reminders from Comelec
Meanwhile, voters are encouraged to report incidents of vote-buying and other forms of electioneering, which the Comelec lamented have occurred in the past and are anticipated to be repeated during the upcoming national and local elections.
Moreover, voters were also reminded how to properly fill out the ballot based on their experience in the last two elections, which saw a number of cases of rejected ballots due to improper handling by the voters themselves.
Jimenez pointed out that the improper marking of the ballot was found to be the most common problem that emerged during the previous elections. With this, voters are advised not to mark the so-called “no-write zones” on the ballot paper itself.
To note, around 90 percent of ballot rejections are due to voters mistakenly marking the no-write zones; while another common case involves ballots getting wrinkled due to careless handling.
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