The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental is gearing up for the mock polls here on December 29 and in the municipality of Zamboanguita in preparation for next year’s elections.
Lawyer Ian Macaraya, city election officer and Comelec-Negros Oriental spokesperson, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency on Friday, said the mock polls will be held in Barangays Balugo and Taclobo in the city and in Barangays Poblacion and Mayabon in Zamboanguita.
He said one clustered precinct per barangay has been identified for the mock polls–the Negros Oriental State University (Barangay Taclobo); Balugo Elementary School (Barangay Balugo); Mayabon Elementary School (Barangay Mayabon); and Zamboanguita Elementary School (Poblacion Zamboanguita).
Macaraya said 100 voters from each barangay will be asked to participate in the mock polls, and they are being identified through the village chairpersons.
The local Comelec is also expecting to receive vote-counting machines (VCMs) sometime mid- December, before the training of Comelec personnel and public school teachers who will serve in the electoral boards during the mock polls.
The training on VCM use is a requisite as new features, such as the digital signature, will be introduced.
“The mock polls will serve as a dry run of all the processes that will take place during the 2022 elections, such as from voting to canvassing to the transmission of results,” Macaraya said in mixed English and Cebuano dialect.
Ballots to be used in the mock electoral exercise will carry fictitious names but will be designed after the official ballots for the 2022 elections, he said.
Voting will be held from 7 a.m. to noon and will be immediately followed by the canvassing and transmission of results which may end at 2 p.m., he added.
Source: Philippines News Agency
