How to vote the right way

Election season is fast approaching. Filipinos are starting to question themselves, “How do I vote the right way?” Don’t worry because in this article, we will answer your question to help you use your vote wisely.

The most important thing before knowing how to vote is to register as a voter through the Commission of Elections. You must first meet the following requirements in order to register:

Filipino citizen;

At least 18 years old on or before the Election Day on May 9, 2022;

Resident of the Philippines for at least one year;

Resident of the municipality or city you intend to vote at for at least 6 months;

The registration period will open once again on October 11 and end until the last day of October so if you haven’t registered yet, there is still plenty of time to do so. Keep in mind that different COMELEC offices from different municipalities conduct registration differently during the new normal. Some allow walk-in registrations while for others, you need to get scheduled first.

Nevertheless, make sure to bring with you at least one valid ID and your COVID essentials. Don’t worry as you will be walked through the entire process by COMELEC employees and now you are all set to vote.

The next step to voting is researching the candidates’ platforms, history of political career, accomplishments, credentials, presence or absence of a criminal record, and various considerations for you to choose the positions based on your political beliefs and aspirations. This is important as this will be your basis for choosing the candidates you are voting for.

Next, you should find your precinct or voting location. Lost precinct is one of the usual complaints on election day. Luckily, there is a precinct finder website online to save time spent outside and headaches later on.

The most crucial step on how to vote the right way is correctly filling out and casting the ballot. If incorrectly filled, you may face delays or problems with casting your vote. Make sure to shade the whole circle with the pen given and when you are done, feed your ballot to the vote counting machine.

That’s it! Voting the right way is using your vote to choose the candidate you think will bring wanted change to our country.