Comelec to implement longer voting hours for 2025 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday said it will implement longer voting hours in 2025 national and local elections (NLE).

In a media briefing, Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said early and late voting hours are reserved for senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), and pregnant women.

"Yung mga nakatatanda, yung may mga kapansanan, yung nagdadalang tao, pagdating ng Mayo 2025 o yung December [Sangguniang Kabataan] (SK) 2025, totoo po yung sinasabi natin. Alas singko ng madaling araw hanggang alas siete, exclusive, pabobotohin natin ang mga nakatatanda, may mga kapansanan, at nagdadalang tao (The elderly, those with disabilities, those who are pregnant, come May 2025 or December SK 2025, what we're saying is true. From 5:00 a.m. in the morning until 7:00 p.m. [in the evening], exclusively, we will give them to the elderly, disabled, and pregnant)," Garcia said.

"Ibig sabihin hindi po natin sila isasabay para mas naaalagaan ang kanilang pagboto ng ating guro. Ibig sabihin, sinisigurado natin na hindi sila nahahalo sa karamihan upang yung kanilang kalusugan at kaayusan ay napoprotektahan po ng Comelec (This means that we will not send them together with other voters so that our teachers can take better care of their voting. This means we will make sure that they do not mix with the crowd so their health and order can be protected by the Comelec)," he added.

During the 2023 Barangay and SK Elections, Comelec has pilot-tested early voting hours for senior citizens, PWD, and pregnant women in Muntinlupa and Naga City.

They were allowed to vote between 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.