15% threshold for vote shading OK’d

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc on Wednesday approved the proposal to lower to 15% the valid shading threshold for ballots for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE). 

“Approved na po ang 15% threshold,” Comelec chairperson George Erwin Garcia told GMA News Online. 

On Tuesday, Garcia announced the poll body is considering further easing the threshold to avoid voter disenfranchisement. He said the lowest threshold for shading was set at 20% during the 2010 elections. 

“Ang importante dito is ‘yung intent ng voter [What’s important is the voters’ intent]. No voter should be disenfranchised,” the poll chief earlier said.  

Election watchdog National Citizens' Movement for Free Elections (NAMFREL earlier welcomed the recommendation as it echoed the poll chief’s remarks on the importance of voters’ intent. 

“Those are the rules so kailangan ‘yung ating mga botante ay cognizant of the rules…That will go into our voter education program para ma-inform ang mga botante… ‘Yun din ang sinasabi ng NAMFREL noon. Ano ba ang intent ng voter?” said NAMFREL national chairperson Lito Averia. 

(Voters should be cognizant of the rules so we will include this in our voter education program. This is in line of what we were saying before, what is the intent of the voters?)

Eleksyon 2025 will be held on May 12, 2025.  — BM, GMA Integrated News