The Philippine Commission on Elections (Comelec) is gearing up for the 2025 national elections by organizing mock voting sessions in 30 barangays across the country this Saturday, January 25. According to Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco, these mock elections are crucial for testing the automated election system (AES) ahead of the upcoming polls. The mock voting will simulate the entire voting process, involving actual registered voters from 7 to 10 a.m. Laudiangco emphasized that this is not just a routine drill but a legal requirement under Republic Act 9369, which mandates the Technical Evaluation Committee to certify the AES’s functionality, security, and accuracy. The selected locations for these mock polls span across Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. In addition to the mock elections, Comelec has scheduled Local Absentee Voting (LAV) for April 28 to 30, 2025, allowing government officials, military personnel, police, and media members to vote early. The LAV is designed for those assigned election duties on election day, enabling them to vote for senators and party-list organizations. Applications for LAV must be submitted by March 7, 2025. In the last election, 84,358 were registered for LAV, with an 88.72% turnout.
Philippine Election Commission to Conduct Mock Voting in 30 Communities Nationwide
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