The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced a further delay in the reprinting of ballots for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections, moving the restart date from January 24 to January 27. This decision comes in the wake of Francis Leo Marcos withdrawing his senatorial candidacy, necessitating updates to the election database and ballot design.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia explained that the withdrawal of Marcos required an additional two to three days to adjust the database, re-serialize the ballots, and redesign the ballot faces. Consequently, the planned restart of ballot printing, initially set for Friday, has been rescheduled to Monday morning.
The suspension of ballot printing at the National Printing Office was initially triggered by temporary restraining orders (TROs) from the Supreme Court. These orders were in response to Comelec’s decisions to disqualify or label certain candidates as nuisances. The TROs mandated the inclusion of 11 candidates, including Marcos, on the official ballots.
Previously, the Comelec had planned to resume ballot printing on January 20, but this was postponed to January 22 and then to January 24 due to the ongoing legal challenges. Chairman Garcia emphasized that each withdrawal of a Certificate of Candidacy (COC) during this non-printing period requires two to three days for necessary adjustments.