Comelec notice to overseas voters—deadline for May 9 voting

The Commission on Elections’ Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) in accordance with Commission’s En Banc meeting of May 3, 2016 has issued guidelines on the counting and/or feeding of ballots received through mail on May, 9 2016, the end of the overseas voting period.

The guidelines state:

• Ballots received by Posts in the American and European Region on May 9, 2016 during the batch feeding and before 12:00 noon local time shall be considered valid and included in the counting of votes.

• The Special Board of Election Inspectors may adjourn or suspend the counting or batch feeding of ballots until 12:00 noon of May 9, 2016 to wait for the delivery of the mailed ballots to be included in the counting or batch feeding

• Close Voting procedures shall be undertaken only after all the ballots delivered through mail on or before 12:00 noon of May 9, 2016 shall have been counted or batch fed to the VCM.

• Personal voting will strictly observe the Close of Voting on Monday, May 9, 2016, 2:00 o’clock a,m (San Francisco time ) or 5:00 o;clock p.m., Monday, May 9, 2016 (Philippine time).

• No Walk-in voters shall be allowed to personally cast or deliver their mailed ballots after the close of voting hours at 2:00 a.m. of Monday, May 9, 2016 ( 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon, Philippine time)