Manila, April 30 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced that official ballots for the May 12 national and local elections in Negros Oriental are scheduled to arrive this Friday.

Comelec-Negros Island Region (NIR) Director Lionel Marco Castillano said Wednesday, that the 978,643 official ballots will be temporarily stored at a hub in Dumaguete City before being distributed to the provincial, city, and municipal treasurer's offices ahead of election day.

Castillano said the Comelec no longer allocates excess ballots for replacement for spoiled ones unlike in the previous elections.

"There is no need for spare ballots considering that in previous elections, the turnout of voters is usually around 80 percent or a little higher ...