An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Sunday, Feb. 13, reminded voters to shade the oval before and not after the name of the candidate when they vote in the May 2022 polls.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez issued the reminder to counter the fake information circulating that the oval to be shaded is the one after the candidate's name.

"When we vote we should shade(the oval) before the name. Example, your candidate is Juan Dela Cruz. There is an oval before Juan Dela Cruz. You should shade the oval before the name and not after because the one at the end is for another candidate," he said during an online forum.

"We are happy that when we released that information, we had netizens who themselves voluntarily made their materials to hit that kind of disinformation," added Jimenez.

Last month, the Comelec issued the step by step guide on how to cast vote in the May 2022 polls.

Step 1 Have your temperature checked before entering the voting center.

Step 2 Proceed to the Voters' Assistance Desk (VAD) to secure your precinct and sequence numbers and assigned room or clustered precinct.

Step 3 Go to your assigned room and introduce yourself to the Electoral Board by stating your name, precinct and sequence numbers.

Step 4 Get your ballot, ballot secrecy folder and marking pen and fill-out the ballot at the voting area.

Step 5 Accomplish the ballot by fully shading the oval appearing before the name of the candidate you wish to vote for. Do not overvote.

Step 6 Feed the ballot into the Vote Counting Machine (VCM).

Step 7 Check your voter's receipt and then deposit it in the receptacle.

Step 8 Have your right forefinger nail stained with indelible ink.

There are more than 65 million registered voters in the upcoming polls.