Comelec OKs mall voting precincts

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Thursday it would set up voting precincts at malls during the 2025 midterm elections.

The pilot run of mall voting during the 2023 Village and Youth Council polls was a success, noted Comelec Chairman George Garcia.

“We will have voting in all malls in the country, especially in Metro Manila. It’s more comfortable, a bit colder, there is no

vote buying, no violence, no dirt, no litter,” Garcia said.

This does not mean, however, that voting in schools will no longertake place, he added.

Meanwhile, Comelec will ask Congress for additional funds to pay for utilities and repair of damaged equipment during elections.

Garcia made the request after Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte asked the Comelec to shoulder the operating expenses of public schools during the electoral exercises.

The Vice President earlier expressed hope that school expenses duringelections will no longer be charged to the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Duterte said she wished that the DepEd would no longer pay for the use of electricity and water in schools during the elections, adding that repair and utilities were being charged to the DepEd’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) “despite not being part of our mandate.”

The Comelec uses public schools nationwide as voting centers during elections, while classrooms serve as polling precincts.

Garcia said Comelec was not aware of the issue, and that the poll body would consider including these expenses in the proposed amendments to the Omnibus Election Code which they intend to submit this year.