Comelec sets 10-hour voting period for 2016 polls

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has set a 10-hour voting period for the presidential, national, and local elections in May.

The full commission has decided that during the elections on May 9, voting hours will start at 7 a.m. and end at 5 p.m., Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said on Wednesday.

Jimenez said that the Comelec is expecting more people to show up on election day since they will be voting for the country’s next president.

“Isa sa mga nakita natin ever since nag-start ang automated elections ay tumataas ang ating voter turnout (One of the things we have observed since the automated elections was implemented is that voter turnout has increased). And since this is a presidential election, we expect that the turnout will be even higher,” Jimenez told reporters.

“We want to give our voters the opportunity to vote,” he added.

READ: Local absentee voting set on Apr. 27 to 29

Voters who are within the 30-meter radius of the polling precinct at 5 p.m. on May 9 will still be allowed to vote. Their names will then be recorded in a list by election officers.

Once the list has been finalized, no one would then be accommodated to vote.

In the 2013 senatorial and local polls, about 77 percent of the total registered voters of 54 million had shown up and cast their vote.

During the 2013 elections, voting precincts were opened at 7 a.m. and were closed at 7 p.m. CDG

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