ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- Barely two days to go before the May polls, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Iloilo has emphasized its reminders anew to the voters as the country will hold the 2022 National and Local Elections amid the pandemic.

Election Officer Alice Bernadette Naranjo of COMELEC-Iloilo, in an interview, said that voting precincts will open as early as 6 a.m. until 7 p.m. on May 9.

"Equally important, do not over vote. It would be better to bring a copy listing the names of the chosen candidates to 'expedite' the voting proceedings," according to Naranjo.

COMELEC also advised to avoid any other marks and tampers in the ballot as it would invalidate the document.  

She said there is only one instance wherein the electoral board can furnish an extra ballot as the ballot allocation is 1:1.

“Configured ini ang aton nga balota with the SD cards. If it is not configured, indi ini siya pagbasahon ang balota sang aton nga vote counting machine. That is the only time nga invalid ang ballot kag na-belong siya sa iban nga presinto or fake ang ballot (Our ballots are configured with SD cards. If it is not configured, the vote counting machine cannot read the ballot. That is the only time that the ballot is invalid and it belongs to other voting precincts, or it could be a fake ballot), ” she explained.

Voters were further cautioned on the prohibition of selfies in voting precincts and taking photos of filled-out ballots.

According to COMELEC, vote counting machines have been delivered as well as with the official ballots and other election-related paraphernalia. (JBG/LML/PIA Iloilo)