The voting precincts will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on May 9, Election Day, and everyone has an idea of what happens there within those hours. But what happens after the voting hours end and the polling precincts close?
In precincts where people are still standing in line to vote after voting hours close at 7 p.m., here’s what Comelec Resolution No. 10727 states:
“Voters who have not yet cast their votes but are within 30 meters in front of the polling place by 7 p.m. of Election Day shall still be allowed to cast their votes.”
The poll clerk shall make a complete list of the names of those voters “numbered consecutively.”
“The voters so listed shall be called to vote by the poll clerk by announcing near the door of the polling place, in a tone loud enough to be heard throughout the polling place, each name three times in the order which they are listed. Any voter in the list who is not present or does not respond when called shall no longer be allowed to vote.”
When all of these voters have cast their votes, the prescribed process of shutting down the vote counting machine (VCM) will be started.
1. First, the electoral board (EB) will shut down the vote-counting machine (VCM).
2. One SD card should be removed from the first slot and will be placed in an envelope which is marked with the clustered precinct numbers, barangay, city, municipality, or province.
The other SD card, which is a backup card, should not be removed from the VCM and its slot should remain locked.
2. The resolution detailing the procedures also orders the removal of the battery from the VCM, disconnection of battery cables from the battery, power cable of the VCM from the electrical outlet, and power cable from the VCM.
Convening of board of canvasers
“The Board of Canvassers (BOC) shall convene at 1 p.m. of May 9, 2022 at the designated place to initialize the CCS (consolidation and canvassing system) and thereafter to canvass the electronically-transmitted Election Returns (ERs) or the Certificates of Canvass (COCs). The BOC shall meet continuously from day to day until the canvass is completed and may adjourn but only for the purpose of awaiting the other ERs/ COCs.” (Resolution No. 10731)
Health and safety protocols after the closing of polls
After the closing of polls, the election board, support staff, and watchers should disinfect the working area, VCM, and other supplies and equipment which were used before and after the proceedings.
They should observe a one-meter distance, sanitize their hands regularly, and use their own pens when signing the physical copies of the election results, forms, and documents.
The people allowed inside the polling place should be limited and be based on the operational capacity of the place.