Comelec Oks lower vote shading threshold

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it will apply the lowest threshold for the shading of official ballots in the May 2025 midterm polls, allowing even a dot to register as a vote.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said the Commission has approved the proposal to set the shading threshold at 15 percent.

“For the elections of 2025, our threshold will be at 15 percent. All votes will be counted as long as they exceed 15 percent of the oval,” Garcia said in a recent interview.

The approval came after the proposal of the Project Management Office was accepted by the Commission.

Garcia said the marking pen to be used can meet the 15 percent threshold with just a single dot.

“The Comelec en banc was satisfied with the explanation on why it should be 15 percent,” he added.

In the 2013 and 2016 elections, the shading threshold was at 50 percent; while it was a 25-percent threshold for the 2019 and 2022 elections.

The Comelec chief said the previous lowest shading threshold was at 20 percent during the 2010 elections, which was also the country’s first poll exercise to use the automated election system.

Garcia, though, still advised voters to fully shade the ovals beside the names of their political bets.

“We hope they will still accomplish the whole oval. It’s just a small oval, and they are easy to accomplish,” he said.

At the same time, Garcia urged candidates and political parties to help the Comelec in educating voters, particularly in the correct way to cast their votes on election day.