MANILA, Philippines — The upcoming Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election will introduce a first in Philippine elections as ballots will carry the photos of candidates and logos of political parties to help voters identify their choices, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia said Saturday.
Garcia said the inclusion of candidate images and party symbols were among the innovations being introduced for the September 14 polls, which will be the first parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“This is the first election in our country where, here in Bangsamoro, the candidates’ pictures will appear on the ballot, and the logos of political parties will also be included on the ballot,” Garcia said.
He said the measure was intended to make voting easier for the electorate, particularly in a new electoral system where voters will choose district representatives, regional political parties, and sectoral representatives.
Garcia said Comelec was currently finalizing the ballot design and the official list of candidates, which will also be made available through the poll body’s website.
He added that the election would require voters to familiarize themselves with a wider range of choices compared with previous elections.
For the parliamentary party vote, voters will choose one among 13 regional political parties. Garcia explained that parties must secure at least 2.5 percent of the total votes to qualify for parliamentary seats.
The Comelec chief said the innovations being introduced in the Bangsamoro election were part of efforts to improve voter experience and strengthen the conduct of the historic polls.
