A MOCK election in preparation for the May 2022 local and national polls will be held in six areas across the country on Dec. 29, the election commission announced Monday.  

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Spokesperson James B. Jimenez said in a press briefing that the sites will be in Pasay City in Metro Manila, Albay, Negros Oriental, Leyte, Isabela, and Lanao del Sur.  

Each of the clustered precincts will be able to accommodate an average of 500 to 600 people and will be open from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., he said.  

Voters who will participate in the mock elections will be required to present a vaccination card or an RT-PCR test result showing they are COVID negative. 

The 30-inch test ballot that will be used in the simulations would contain false names and not the tentative list of candidates for the 2022 elections, Mr. Jimenez said.  

Presidential and local candidates will be placed on the front of the ballot while the party lists will be placed on the back. 

Meanwhile, the Comelec spokesperson also clarified that the tentative list of candidates released last week included those with pending motions for considerations. 

“We expect that those cases will be resolved around the first week of January,” Mr. Jimenez said in Filipino. 

The Comelec estimates that cases relating to the cancellation of candidacy and nuisance candidates will be decided upon by Jan. 7, in time for the printing of the ballots starting start on Jan. 15. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan

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