BARMM poll has issues with “NOTA” option

COTABATO CITY (August 19) — An “extremely urgent” conference has been convened by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to address the problem of the “none of the above,” or NOTA, option in the official ballots for the October Bangsamoro parliamentary elections.

The ramifications of the NOTA option receiving a majority of the votes cast are still unknown, according to Comelec Chairman George Garcia.

“What if ‘none of the above’ gets more than 50 percent of the votes in each position, whether district or political parties? What are the implications of this? What if ‘none of the above’ wins? Who will sit? What if ‘none of the above’ wins in the political parties?” Garcia asked.

Garcia pointed out that the Bangsamoro Electoral Code merely stipulates that there must be a NOTA choice on the official ballots in addition to the candidates; it does not address the answers to those questions.

The Comelec has arranged a meeting with representatives from the seven regional parliament political parties, poll watchdogs, and civil society organizations on Wednesday to discuss the NOTA issue. Garcia emphasized the significance of settling the issue before providing the required guidelines, saying, “We need to discuss something that we see as a problem.”

“The parties should be aware of our predicament so that they can be part of the solution,” he said.

The NOTA option in the official ballot for the parliamentary elections was previously brought up by the Independent Election Monitoring Center. It pointed out that there is no explicit guidance on the possible repercussions in the event that the NOTA receives a majority of the votes under the Bangsamoro Electoral Code or its implementing rules and regulations.

The group called on the Comelec and Bangsamoro Transition Authority to address the matter and provide clarification in order to prevent a potential election failure.