The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that approximately six million ballots printed for the May 2025 polls are now unusable following the Supreme Court’s (SC) issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the disqualification of senatorial aspirant Subair Guinthum Mustapha and others.
Printed Ballots Invalidated
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia confirmed that the ballots, which cost P22 each and totaled around P132 million, were rendered obsolete because Mustapha’s name was not included. “The 6 million ballots we printed will all be useless because the name of the concerned candidate is not there,” Garcia said in an interview with Unang Balita.
The Comelec will inventory and shred the invalidated ballots, with the process reported to the Commission on Audit (COA).
Impact of the TRO
The SC’s TRO halts the disqualification of Mustapha and four local candidates, prompting Comelec to suspend printing ballots to adjust the senatorial candidates’ list. Comelec had started printing the 73 million ballots for the elections on January 6, 2025, and aimed to complete the process by April 14.
Garcia stressed the commission’s need to follow a strict timeline, noting that waiting indefinitely for the SC’s decision would disrupt election preparations. Despite a two-week delay in printing, Garcia assured that the May 12 elections would proceed as scheduled.
Adjustments and Challenges
The TRO affects the alphabetical arrangement of at least 12 senatorial candidates on the ballots, necessitating modifications to:
- Election Management System (EMS)
- Automated Counting Machines (ACM)
- Consolidation and Canvassing System (CCS)
Mock elections, originally scheduled for January 20, were moved to January 25 to accommodate database and ballot updates.
Comelec has generated 1,667 new ballot face templates to reflect the SC decision and is evaluating whether changes to the EMS require a new trusted build.
Postponed Tests
Live testing for the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) was also postponed.
Looking Ahead
The Comelec aims to resume ballot printing by January 22 to stay on track for the May 2025 elections.