‘BETTER SURE THAN SORRY’: Comelec-6 Urges Full Shading On Ballot Despite 15% Shading Threshold

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Commission on Elections Western Visayas (Comelec-6) is encouraging registered voters to fully shade their ballots despite the Commission’s approval of a 15 percent shading threshold for the 2025 midterm elections.

Comelec-6 regional director Atty. Dennis Ausan said full shading would reduce the risk of votes being misinterpreted or invalidated by automated counting machines.

“We are still campaigning for full shading. Let us not rely on the threshold. Since there is a 15 percent threshold, I hope everyone avoids shading only 15 percent,” he said.

Ausan emphasized that adhering to the 15 percent shading threshold does not guarantee that the ballot is shaded correctly, which could lead to disenfranchisement and inaccurate vote counting.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia recently announced that the Commission en banc approved the 15 percent shading threshold for the 2025 midterm elections after a recommendation from the Project Management Office.

“We resolved the issue on the threshold. Unlike in past elections where we had a 25 percent threshold, they decided on a 15 percent threshold for the midterm elections,” Ausan said.

He noted that in past elections, some voters failed to fully shade the oval, resulting in the disenfranchisement of their votes.

“Now, we allow that even if only 15 percent is shaded, it can still be counted in favor of the candidate’s name they marked,” he added.

Comelec used a 25 percent threshold in the 2022 and 2019 elections, while a 50 percent threshold was observed in the 2016 and 2023 polls.

In 2010, the first automated election, Comelec adopted a 20 percent threshold.