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UNDERVOTING IN THE SENATORIAL RACE? 37% of possible votes unused, says analyst
The Freeman
|May 18, 2025
MANILA About 242 million senatorial votes went unused in the recent midterm elections as the average Filipino voter only shaded seven to eight candidates instead of the maximum 12, according to the president of a public opinion research firm.
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The actual number of those who "undervoted" or did not fill up all 12 senatorial candidates remains unknown, as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) does not release individual ballot data.
But the aggregate results, according to Cleve Arguelles, a political scientist and president of WR Numero, shows at least a third of the total maximum votes for senators were not used up.
Arguelles shared his estimations based on total voter turnout and the actual number of votes cast for senatorial candidates.
This story is from the May 18, 2025 edition of The Freeman.
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