Comelec starts destroying 6.7M unused ballots for 2025 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has begun destroying 6,763,649 unused official ballots and 32,680 accountable forms for the 2025 national and local elections.

Commissioner Rey Bulay stated that the disposal process, which began at the National Printing Office in Quezon City, involves manually tearing the ballots from top to bottom.

These ballots will be transported to a facility in Pampanga for melting, with the entire destruction process expected to be completed by the second week of June.

Bulay assured the public that the process is transparent, with the entire operation being livestreamed and documented for Comelec archives.

He clarified that the poll body did not spend any funds for these unused ballots, as they are considered production losses chargeable to the provider according to their contract.

The number of unused ballots and accountable forms to be destroyed this year is higher than in the 2022 elections.