Bacolod: The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will deploy teams across the Negros Island Region (NIR) starting Friday for a door-to-door distribution of critical voter materials ahead of the May 12 national and local elections. During a media briefing on Tuesday, Comelec-NIR Assistant Regional Director Jossil Macute announced that the Voter’s Information Sheets (VIS) will be hand-delivered to all registered voters, marking a significant operational shift from the unreliable postal system that previously failed to reach many citizens.

According to Philippines News Agency, the VIS contains essential details, including the names of national and local candidates as well as personal information of a voter, such as their assigned voting center or precinct. This initiative aims to ensure that all 1.2 million registered voters across NIR’s 19 legislative districts receive their materials by April 30.

Distribution teams will focus on obtaining recipient signatures to confirm delivery, but in cases where residents are unavailable, documents will be left at visible home locations. Each VIS specifies the voter’s exact precinct and voting center location, along with complete lists of national and local candidates, to minimize ballot confusion.

Macute highlighted the importance of voters verifying their details at Comelec offices, although officials note that most precinct assignments remain unchanged from previous elections. This manual distribution strategy directly addresses the 18% of Negros voters who reported missing VIS mailings during the 2023 elections, a situation that contributed to 30% of voting delays due to precinct confusion.