The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has announced that, unlike in previous elections, no excess official ballots will be printed for the upcoming Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) scheduled for September 14, 2026. This move aims to eliminate any potential for fraud related to surplus ballots.
Strict One-to-One Ratio
In a press briefing during the Kick-off Ceremony for the printing of the official BPE ballots at the National Printing Office (NPO) in Quezon City, Comelec Chairman George Garcia emphasized the strict adherence to a one-to-one ratio. “There will be no excess ballots. It is strictly a one-to-one ratio,” Garcia stated. He further explained that if a precinct has 200 voters, exactly 200 ballots will be sent, leaving no room for extra ballots that could be misused.
Garcia highlighted the rationale behind this policy, noting that in previous elections, excess ballots often raised suspicions. “There is the issue of where the excess ballots are being used. If there are 5,212 precincts and each has three excess ballots, that amounts to 15,000 ballots. We don't want any suspicion arising regarding where those excess ballots end up,” he said.
Printing Commences for 2.3 Million Ballots
The Comelec began printing the 2.3 million official BPE ballots on Wednesday, July 8, 2026, with a target completion time of one week. However, Garcia noted that the entire process, including verification, may take up to three weeks. “We can finish printing the 2.3 million ballots in one to two weeks. However, the ballot verification process takes a bit longer, as they have to be verified one by one. That part will take us to about three weeks,” he explained.
The printing of 2,393,202 official ballots at the NPO will cost approximately P63 million. Garcia also mentioned that ballots for Tawi-Tawi, the farthest island, will be prioritized. “We will prioritize the ones for Tawi-Tawi. We will begin with the ballots of the farthest island,” he said.
