Election Expenses
- Elections expenses are paid by the municipal treasurer, charged to the government branch holding the election.
- Simultaneous elections share expenses equally among branches.
- For first elections in new municipalities, provinces advance necessary funds, later reimbursed by the municipality.
Reelection Limitations
- No candidate may be reelected for provincial governor or mayor more than three consecutive terms after 1937.
Certificate of Candidacy Requirements
- A sworn certificate of candidacy must be filed within the prescribed time.
- Candidates can only file for one office per election; multiple filings invalidate candidacies.
- The certificate must declare candidacy, residency, eligibility, political party, campaign expense limit (one-third of office emoluments), and post-office address.
- Candidates with identical names must declare full paternal and maternal surnames unless previously elected.
- Certificates cannot contain more than one nickname.
- Candidates convicted of campaign overspending are disqualified.
Filing and Distribution of Certificates
- Filing deadlines vary: 30 days before election for national offices; 20 days for provincial, city, and municipal offices.
- Filing officials must acknowledge receipt and distribute certified copies to relevant election authorities and polling places.
- Replacement candidates may be filed until noon on election day if the original candidate dies or is disqualified.
- Appointive public officers lose their positions upon filing certificates.
Election Precinct Arrangement
- Precincts should have no more than 400 voters and cover contiguous compact areas.
- Municipal councils adjust precincts when voter counts exceed limits.
- Merged municipalities must each have at least one precinct if remote distances exceed five miles.
Designation and Management of Polling Places
- Polling places must be centrally located, large enough for voters, and secure from observation.
- No alcohol sale or cockfighting is allowed in polling places from designation until the day after the election.
- The municipal council may provide portable polling places where necessary.
- Buildings owned or occupied by candidates or controlled by private entities are generally prohibited as polling places unless exceptionally remote.
- Location changes after designation are disallowed unless ordered.
- The Secretary of the Interior supplies ballot boxes and election materials.
- Ballot boxes must have three keys with separate custodians and be distinctly marked for valid and spoiled ballots.
- Official signs and government flags must be displayed at polling places.
- The Secretary of the Interior supervises local authorities and may enlist legal officers for election integrity.
Appointment of Election Inspectors and Poll Clerks
- Established 70 days before elections; composed of three inspectors and one poll clerk plus substitutes per precinct.
- Appointment date published, and party representatives notified.
- Two inspectors and the clerk belong to the party with the largest votes; the third from the next largest party.
- Candidate or party factions seceded after 1934 are disqualified from inspector appointments.
- Inspectors and clerks must be proposed by authorized national party representatives and are replaceable upon party request.
- Eligibility excludes public office holders (except notaries) and convicted or accused election offenders.
- Failure to appoint inspectors or poll clerks as required results in penalties including imprisonment and fines.
Voter Registration and the Permanent List of Voters
- A permanent voter list was established for the 1937 elections and renewed every twelve years; all former voter lists are canceled.
- Treasurers publish the voter list and supplements before elections.
- Only those listed may vote.
Registration Procedures
- Boards of election inspectors hold multiple meetings before elections for voter registration and list revision.
- Meetings run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with provisions for late registrants.
- Voters must submit affidavits detailing identification and qualification.
- Identification includes cedulas for males or birth/baptismal certificates for females.
- Copies of affidavits are retained, filed with the register of deeds, and given to the voter.
- Voters must reregister only if changing residence.
Preparation and Publication of Voter Lists
- Inspectors prepare a revised voter list incorporating qualified applicants.
- Lists include voter names, addresses, ballot numbers, voter signatures, and inspector signatures.
- Lists are publicly posted weeks before an election.
Voter Qualifications and Disqualifications
- Qualified voters are Philippine citizens aged 21 or older, residents for at least 6 months in their locality, able to read and write, and not active military.
- Disqualifications include persons with prison sentences over 18 months (unless pardoned), violators of allegiance, insane or feeble-minded persons, and those unable to prepare ballots.
Challenges to Voter Registration
- Registered voters, candidates, or their representatives may apply to courts to strike names from voter lists within 20 days after list preparation.
- Applications require sworn statements, proof of service, and bonds.
- Court decisions are made on evidence; parties may intervene.
- Decisions must be issued by noon, two Saturdays before election day.
Official Ballots
- Uniform white paper ballots are issued publicly at no cost.
- Ballots are 120x240 millimeters, folded to 60x120 millimeters.
- They include instructions prohibiting markings other than candidate names.
- Ballots list offices with spaces for candidate names.
- Each ballot is numbered with a detachable coupon for voter thumb marks.
- Ballots are bound in books of 800, numbered, and tracked by relevant officials.
Ballot Preparation and Voting Process
- Voters prepare ballots privately in booths.
- Use of aliases or unofficial nicknames is prohibited; such votes are invalidated.
- Ballots cannot be marked or altered unlawfully, exhibited before deposit, or copied.
- After preparation, voters thumbprint the detachable coupon, return it to the board chairman who removes the coupon and deposits the ballot into the valid ballot box.
- Ballots with discrepancies or unremoved coupons are marked spoiled.
- Voter signatures and thumbprints are recorded by inspectors on voter lists.
Canvassing of Election Returns
- Provincial boards of canvassers, comprising designated provincial officers, meet within 15 days post-election.
- Missing or defective statements are corrected but not recounted unless discrepancies affect outcomes.
- The board tallies votes for various offices and determines winners.
- Results for President and Vice-President are sent to the National Assembly.
Certification and Proclamation of Election Results
- Results are documented in duplicate, signed, sealed, and filed.
- Certified proclamations are sent promptly to candidates and relevant authorities.
Handling of Tie Votes
- In the event of a tie, the provincial board of canvassers conducts a public drawing to determine the winner.
- All tied candidates are notified and may attend.
- The outcome is recorded and certified to higher authorities and candidates.
Ineligibility and Replacement of Provincial Canvassers
- Board members who are candidates are disqualified from canvassing duties.
- The Secretary of the Interior may designate substitutes for absences or incapacity among members.
Qualifications and Terms of Provincial and Municipal Officers
- Candidates must be qualified voters of the province, residents for at least one year, and at least 30 years old for provincial offices.
- Terms are three years beginning January 1 following election.
- Incumbents hold over until successors qualify.
Municipal Board Membership and Succession
- Members elected citywide; top ten vote-getters declared elected.
- Must be residents and qualified voters, at least 23 years old.
- Suspension and removal follow rules applicable to provincial elective officers.
- If vacancies occur, the President appoints replacements with Assembly consent.
Composition and Function of the Provincial Board
- Consists of the provincial governor and two members elected by local officials.
- The provincial governor presides; absence or incapacity permits designation of acting officers by the President.
- Board resolutions and orders must be furnished to the Department of the Interior.
Penalties for Election Offenses
- Refusal or delay in appointing election inspectors or poll clerks, failure to call meetings, or unlawful continuation in office carry imprisonment, fines, loss of suffrage, and disqualification.
- Fraudulent registration acts and obstructive conduct by inspectors or poll clerks penalized similarly;
- Failure to publish voter lists or give proper certificates by municipal treasurers is punishable.
Perjury and Campaign Overspending
- False oaths or affidavits concerning election matters result in imprisonment, fines, loss of suffrage, and disqualification.
- Candidates convicted of exceeding campaign expense limits face harsher penalties including longer disqualification.
Prescription of Election Offenses
- Election offenses prescribe one year after commission, except when discovered during election contests, where the term commences after final judgment.
- Actions start upon court issuing arrest orders.
Terminological and Structural Amendments
- Certain official titles and terms in the Election Law are updated to reflect current designations (e.g., "Municipal President" to "Mayor").
- Municipal boards of cities are included with municipal councils in references.
Repeal of Conflicting Laws
- Specific previous acts and provisions inconsistent with these amendments are repealed.
Election Law Publication and Effectivity
- The Department of the Interior is tasked with supervising printing of the amended Election Law for polling place use.
- The Act took effect upon approval on September 15, 1937.