ILOCOS NORTE: Ilocos Norte received Sunday the official ballots for the May 12 national and local elections, marking a crucial step in final preparations.

According to Philippines News Agency, the ballots were delivered to the provincial capitol here and will be distributed promptly to 706 clustered precincts through city and municipal treasurers’ offices, as stated by lawyer Joel Gines, the election supervisor of the Commission on Elections-Ilocos Norte.

“To speed up the distribution, our city and municipal treasurers are already here to check their allocation and if these are complete, they can bring it immediately to their respective offices,” Gines said in a media interview.

With both ballots and automated counting machines (ACMs) now in place, Gines confirmed that the province is 100-percent ready for election day. The ACMs are currently secured by the police at the San Nicolas hub and will be delivered to local governments on May 6, with final testing and sealing scheduled for May 7.

Gines also reminded the electorate to avoid over-voting and to bring a list of their candidates, though taking photos of the ballots is prohibited.