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During the training, a mock election was held in Barangay Pantaragoo in Balindong, a town in Lanao del Sur, one of the six provinces in the ARMM.
During the mock elections, participants learned the right procedures of voting and how to safeguard the ballot boxes after polling precincts close. Participants were also given tips on how to monitor the voting — from opening and closing of polling precincts up to canvassing.
They also learned how to correct irregularities during elections, according to the Citizens Coalition for ARMM Elections (C-CARE), one of the poll watchdogs in the region accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Most of the participants were members of the C-CARE. Village officials and residents of Barangay Pantaragoo also joined the training. After the training, the C-CARE, with technical support from the International Federation of Electoral Systems (IFES), will start finalizing a manual for voters’ education.
The materials will be reproduced and distributed in at least 80 towns and 1,500 villages all over ARMM.
Funding for the project, according to C-CARE, will be from the United States Agency for International Development.
The next scheduled elections is on August 11, for the sixth batch of officials in the ARMM (MindaNews)
