Article 24p. 24

OMNIBUS ELECTION CODE ELECTION LAWS, RULES AND PROCEDURES

detachable coupon containing the serial number of the

ballot, and a space for the thumbmark of the voter on the

detachable coupon. It shall bear at the top on the middle

portion thereof the coat of arms of the Republic of the

Philippines, the words "Official Ballot", the name of the

city

or

the municipality and province in which the

election is held, the date of the election, and the following

notice: "Fill out this ballot secretly inside the voting booth.

Do not put any distinctive mark on any part of this ballot."

The ballot shall also contain the names of all the

offices to be voted for in the election, allowing opposite

the name of each office, sufficient space or spaces with

horizontal lines where the voter may write the name or

names of the individual candidates voted for by him.

There shall not be anything on the reverse side of the

ballot.

Ballots in cities and municipalities where Arabic is of

general use shall have each of the titles of offices to be

voted printed in Arabic in addition to and immediately

below the English title.

Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this

section,

the

Commission

is

hereby

empowered

to

prescribe a different form of ballot to facilitate voting by

illiterate

voters

and

to

use

or

adopt

the

latest

technological and electronic devices as authorized under

paragraph (i) of Section 52 hereof.

Section 182. Emergency ballots. — No ballots other

than the official ballots shall be used or counted, except

in the event of failure to receive the official ballots on

time, or where there are no sufficient ballots for all

registered voters or where they are destroyed at such

time as shall render it impossible to provide other official

ballots, in which cases the city or municipal treasurer shall

provide other ballots which shall be as similar to the

official ones as circumstances will permit and which shall

be uniform within each polling place. The treasurer shall

immediately report such action to the Commission.

The municipal treasurer shall not undertake the

preparation of the emergency ballots unless the political

parties, candidates and the organizations collectively

authorized by the Commission to designate watchers

have

been

sufficiently

notified

to

send

their

representatives

and

have

agreed

in

writing

to

the

preparation and use of emergency ballots.

Section

183.

Requisition

of

official

ballots

and

election returns. — Official ballots and election returns

shall

be

printed

upon

orders

of

the

Commission.

Requisition of official ballots shall be for each city and

municipality, at the rate of one and one-fifth ballots for

every registered voter in the next preceding election; and

for election returns, at one set thereof for every polling

place.

Section 184. Printing of official ballots and elections

returns. — The official ballots and election returns shall

be printed by the Government Printing Office and/or the

Central Bank printing facilities exclusively, under the

exclusive supervision and control of the Commission

which shall determine and provide the necessary security

measures

in

the

printing,

storage

and

distribution

thereof.

Each ballot shall be joined by a perforated line to a

stub numbered consecutively, beginning with number "1"

in each city and municipality. Each ballot shall also have

at the bottom a detachable coupon bearing the same

number of the stub. Each pad of ballots shall bear on its

cover the name of the city or municipality in which the

ballots are to be used and the inclusive serial numbers of

the ballots contained therein.

The official ballots shall be bound in separate pads of

fifty or one hundred ballots each as may be required.

The election returns shall be prepared in sets of six

copies per set and shall be numbered consecutively,

beginning with number "1" in each city and municipality.

Each set of the election returns shall be printed in such a

manner that will ensure that the entries on the original of

the returns are clearly reproduced on the other copies

thereof

and

shall

bear

the

name

of

the

city

or

municipality in which the returns are to be used. For this

purposes, the Commission shall acquire, if necessary, a

special kind of carbon paper or chemically treated paper.

Section

185.

Official

Sample

ballots.

—

The

Commission shall provide the board of election inspectors

with official sample ballots at the rate of thirty (30) ballots

per polling place. The official sample ballots shall be

printed on colored paper, in all respects like the official

ballots but bearing instead the words 'Official Sample

Ballot'

to

be

shown

to

the

public

and

used

in

demonstrating how to fill out and fold the official ballots

properly. No name of any actual candidate shall be

written on the spaces for voting on the official sample

ballots provided by the Commission, nor shall they be

used for voting.

At least thirty (30) days before an election, it shall be

the duty of the Commission on Elections to furnish every

registered voter through registered mail with return card,

personal service with corresponding receipt to be signed

by the voter or any person who knows the voter, or any

other practicable means with an unfilled official sample

ballot, voter information sheet, and a list of all registered

national, provincial and city candidate to be voted in the

said election. The information sheet shall include the

voter's name, address, the precinct and the place where

he is registered, and simplified instructions as to the

casting of votes. The names of the candidates shall be

listed in alphabetical order under their respective party

affiliation and a one-line statement not to exceed three

(3) words of their occupation or profession: Provided,

however, That in the printing of the names of the

candidates for national offices, the alphabetical order

shall be democratized so that the listed names shall be

made

in

three

(3)

columns:

the

first

column

shall

commence with the letter A and end with the letter Z; the

second column shall commence with the letters 'I — Z'

and thereafter — 'A — H' and the third column shall

commence with the letters 'Q — Z' and thereafter 'A — P'.

These information may be contained in a single sheet or

booklet form, and the number and location of the voters'

polling place shall be prominently indicated therein.

Persons nominated under the party-list system likewise

be included in the abovementioned list. (as amended by

RA No 7904)

Section

186.

Distribution of official ballots and

election returns. — The official ballots and the election

returns shall be distributed by the Commission to each

city and municipality at the rate of one and one-fifth

ballots for every voter registered in each polling place;

and for election returns, at the rate of one set each for

every polling place.

The

provincial,

city

or

municipal

treasurer

shall

respectively keep a record of the quantity and serial

numbers of official ballots and election returns furnished

the various provinces, cities, municipalities and polling

places, as the case may be, legible copies of which record

shall be furnished the duly authorized provincial, city or

municipal representatives of the ruling party and the

dominant

opposition

party,

and

the

Commission

immediately after the distribution is made of such official

ballots and election returns.

The Commission shall prescribe the use of official

delivery receipts to be signed by the election registrar

and the chairman of the board of canvassers upon receipt

of the election returns.

No

official

ballots

or

election

returns

shall

be

delivered to the board of election inspectors earlier than

the first hour of election day: Provided, however, That the

Commission,

after

written

notice

to

the

registered

political parties and the candidates, may, for justifiable

reasons, authorize the delivery of said official ballots and

election returns to the board of election inspectors of any

particular polling place at an earlier date.

Section 187. Committee on printing, storage, and

distribution of official ballots and election returns. —

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