Article 21p. 21

OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE ELECTION LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES

Section 150. Arrangements of election precincts. -

(a) Each election precinct shall have, as far as possible

not more than three hundred voters and shall comprise,

as far as practicable, contiguous and compact territory.

(b) When it appears that an election precinct contains

more than three hundred voters, the Commission shall, in

the interest of orderly election, and in order to facilitate

the casting of votes, be authorized to divide a precinct

not later than one week after the last day of registration

of voters. But the polling place of all the precincts created

thereby

shall

be

located

in

the

same

building

or

compound

where

the

polling

place

of

the

original

precinct is located, and if this be not feasible, in a place as

close as possible to the polling place of the original

precinct: Provided, however, That the polling place of the

new precinct may be located elsewhere upon written

petition of the majority of the voters of the new precinct:

Provided, further, That when a precinct is divided into two

or more precincts, the registered voters shall be included

in

the

precinct

wherein

they

reside.

Every

case of

alteration of a precinct shall be duly published by posting

a notice of any change in conspicuous location in the

precinct, and in the municipal building or city hall, as the

case may be.

(c) A municipality which has been merged with

another municipality shall constitute at least one election

precinct, if the distance between the remotest barangay

of the merged municipality and the nearest polling place

in the municipality to which it has been merged shall, by

the shortest road, exceed five kilometers.

(d) An island or group of islands having one hundred

and fifty or more voters shall constitute a precinct.

(e) Any alteration of the election precincts or the

establishment of new ones shall be communicated to the

provincial

election

supervisor,

the

provincial

superintendent

of

schools,

etc.

together

with

the

corresponding

maps,

which

shall

be

published

as

prescribed in the next succeeding sections.

Section 151. Publication of maps or precincts. — At

least five days before the first registration day preceding

a regular election or special election or a referendum or a

plebiscite,

the

Commission

shall,

through

its

duly

authorized

representative,

post

in

the

city

hall

or

municipal building and in three other conspicuous places

in the city or municipality and on the door of each polling

place, a map of the city or municipality showing its

division into precincts with their respective boundaries

and indicating therein all streets and alleys in populous

areas and the location of each polling place.

These maps shall be kept posted until after the

election, referendum or plebiscite.

Section 152. Polling place. — A polling place is the

building or place where the board of election inspectors

conducts its proceedings and where the voters shall cast

their votes.

Section 153. Designation of polling places. — The

location of polling places designated in the preceding

regular election shall continue with such changes as the

Commission

may

find

necessary,

after

notice

to

registered political parties and candidates in the political

unit affected, if any, and hearing: Provided, That no

location shall be changed within forty-five days before a

regular election and thirty days before a special election

or

a

referendum

or

plebiscite,

except

in case it is

destroyed or it cannot be used.

Section 154. Requirements for polling places. —

Each polling place shall be, as far as practicable, a ground

floor

and

shall

be

of

sufficient

size

to

admit

and

comfortably

accommodate

forty

voters

at one time

outside the guard rail for the board of election inspectors.

The polling place shall be located within the territory of

the precinct as centrally as possible with respect to the

residence of the voters therein and whenever possible,

such location shall be along a public road. No designation

of polling places shall be changed except upon written

petition of the majority of the voters of the precinct or

agreement of all the political parties or by resolution of

the Commission upon prior notice and hearing.

A public building having the requirements prescribed

in the preceding paragraph shall be preferred as polling

place.

Section 155. Building that shall not be used as

polling places. — No polling place shall be located in a

public or private building owned, leased, or occupied by

any candidate or of any person who is related to any

candidate within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity

or affinity, or any officer of the government or leader of

any political party, group or faction, nor in any building or

surrounding premises under the actual control of a

private entity, political party or religious organization. In

places where no suitable public building is available,

private school buildings may be used as polling places.

No polling place shall be located within the perimeter of

or inside a military or police camp or reservation or within

a prison compound.

Any registered voter, candidate or political party may

petition the Commission not later than thirty days before

the first registration day for the transfer of the polling

place from the prohibited buildings provided herein.

Such

petition

shall

be

heard

and

decided

by

the

Commission within twenty days from the filing of the

petition. Failure to effect the transfer of the polling place

after the Commission found it to be located in violation of

this section within the period prescribed herein shall be a

ground for the postponement of the election in the

polling place concerned.

Section 156. Signs and flags of polling places. — On

the day of the voting as well as on any day that the board

of election inspectors might meet, every polling place

shall have in front a sign showing the number of the

precinct to which it belongs and the Philippine flag shall

be hoisted at the proper height.

Section 157. Arrangement and contents of polling

places. — Each polling place shall conform as much as

possible to the sketch on the following page.

Section 158. Voting booth. — During the voting, there

shall be in each polling place a booth for every twenty

voters registered in the precinct. Each booth shall be

open on the side fronting the table for the board of

election inspectors and its three sides shall be closed with

walls at least seventy centimeters wide and two meters

high. The upper part shall be covered, if necessary, to

preserve the secrecy of the ballot. Each booth shall have

in the background a shelf so placed that voters can write

therein while standing and shall be kept clearly lighted,

by artificial lights, if necessary, during the voting.

The Commission shall post inside each voting booth

and elsewhere in the polling place on the day before the

election, referendum and plebiscite a list containing the

names of all the candidates or the issues or questions to

be voted for, and shall at all times during the voting

period keep such list posted in said places.

Section 159. Guard rails. -

(a) In every polling place there shall be a guard rail

between the voting booths and the table for the board of

election inspectors which shall have separate entrance

and exit. The booths shall be so arranged that they can be

accessible only by passing through the guard rail and by

entering through its open side facing the table of the

board of election inspectors.

(b) There shall also be a guard rail for the watchers

between the place reserved for them and the table for

the board of election inspectors and at a distance of not

more than fifty centimeters from the latter so that the

watchers may see and read clearly during the counting of

the contents of the ballots and see and count the votes

recorded by the board of election inspectors member on

the corresponding tally sheets.

(c)

There

shall

also

be,

if

possible,

guard

rails

separating the table of the board of election inspectors

© Compiled by RGL

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