Group calls ‘NoTA’ allowance during polls

An election watchdog is urging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to give a “none of the above” (NoTA) option on ballots real power to influence election results.

The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) said Wednesday that as the first-ever Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao elections approach, the NoTA option “serves as an important barometer of political legitimacy.”

“It remains a legitimate and powerful expression of dissent that registers public dissatisfaction with the choices offered,” LENTE said in a statement.

The group argues that the NoTA option would prevent voter disengagement from being hidden in abstentions or invalid ballots, instead channeling it into “constructive feedback for the political system.”

LENTE is also calling on Comelec, civil society organizations, and the media to educate voters on the value of the NoTA option, ensuring the public understands it as a “deliberate act of democratic participation” rather than apathy.