In the reading and appreciation of ballots, every ballot shall be presumed to be valid unless there is clear and good reason to justify its rejection.

The Board of Election Inspectors shall observe the following rules, bearing in mind that the object of the election is to obtain the expression of the voter’s will:

1. Where only the first name of the candidate or only his surname is written, the vote for such candidate with the same first name or surname for the same office.

2. Where only the first name of a candidate is written on the ballot, which when read, has a sound similar to the surname of another candidate with such surname.

If there are two or more candidates with the same full name, first name or surname, and one of them is the incumbent, and on the ballot is written only such full name, first name or surname, the vote shall be counted in favor of the incumbent.

3. In case the candidate is a woman who uses her maiden or married surname or both and there is another candidate with the same surname, a ballot bearing only such surname shall be counted in favor of the candidate who is an incumbent.

4. When two or more words are written on the same line on the ballot, all of which are the surnames of two or more candidates, the same shall not be counted for any of them, unless one is a surname of an incumbent who has served for at least one year, in which case it shall be counted in favor of the latter.

5. When two or more words are written on different lines on the ballot, all of which are the surnames of two or more candidates bearing the same surname, for an office for which the law authorizes the election of more than one, and there are the same number of such surnames written as there are candidates with that surname.

6. When on the ballot is written a single word, which the first name of a candidate and which ate the same time the surname of another candidate, the vote shall be counted in favor of the latter.

7. When two words are written on the ballot, one of which is the first name of a candidate and the other is the surname of one of his/ her opponent, the vote shall not be counted for either candidate.

8. A name or surname written incorrectly that, when read, has a sound similar to the name or surname of a candidate in his favor.

9. When a name of a candidate appear in a space of the ballot for an office for which he is a candidate, and also in another space for which he is not a candidate, only the vote for the office for which he is not a candidate shall be counted in his favor. The vote for the office for which he is not a candidate shall be considered as a stray, except when it is used as a means to identify the voter, in which case the whole ballot shall be void.

10. If the word or words written on the appropriate lank on the ballot is the identical name or surname or full name of two or more candidates for the same office and none of them is an incumbent, the vote shall be counted in favor of that candidate to whose ticket belong all the other candidates voted for in the same ballot for the same constituency.

11. When in a space in the ballot there appears a name of a candidate that is erased and another clearly written, the vote is valid for the latter.

12. The erroneous initial of the first name which accompanies the correct surname of a candidate, the erroneous initial of the surname accompanying the correct first name of a candidate, or the erroneous middle initial of the candidate shall not annul the vote in favor of the candidate.

13. The fact that a non-candidate has the same first name or surname as a candidate shall not prevent the counting of a valid vote for the candidate.

14. Ballot that contain prefixes such as “Sr.,” “Mr.,” “Datu,” “Don,” “Ginoo,” “Hon.,” “Gob.,” or suffixes like “Hijo’” “Jr.,” “Segundo,” are valid.

15. The use of the nicknames and appellations of affection and friendship, if accompanied by the first name or surname of the candidate, does not annul such vote, except when they were used as a means to identify the voter, in which the case the whole ballot is invalid. If the nickname used is unaccompanied by the name or surname of a candidate and it is the one by which he is generally or popularly known in the locality, but only if there is no other candidate for the same office with the same nickname.

16. Any vote containing initials only, or which is illegible, or which does not sufficiently identify the candidate for whom it is intended, shall be considered as a stray vote but shall not invalidate the whole ballot.

17. if on the ballot the first name of the candidate is correctly written but in the different surname, or the surname of the candidate is correctly written but with a different first name, the vote shall not be counted in favor of any candidate having such first name and/ or surname. The ballot, however, shall be considered valid for the other candidates voted for by the voter.

18. Any ballot written with crayon, lead pencil, or in ink, wholly or in part, shall be valid.

19. Where there are two or more candidates voted for in an office for which the law authorizes the election of only one, the vote shall not be counted only in favor of any of them. This shall not be affect the validity of the other votes therein.

20. If the candidates voted for in a ballot exceed the number of those to be elected, the ballot is valid. But the votes shall be counted in favor of the candidates whose names were firstly written by the voter within the spaces provided for said office in the ballot until the authorized number is covered.

21. Any vote in favor of a person who has not filed a certificate of candidacy or in favor of a candidate for an office for which he did not present himself shall be considered as a stray vote, but shall not invalidate the whole ballot.

22. Ballot containing the name of a candidate printed and paste on a blank space of the ballot of a ballot or affixed thereto through any mechanical process are totally null and void.

23. Circles, crosses or lines put on the spaces on which the voter has not written any name shall be considered as signs to indicate his desistance from voting and shall not invalidate the ballot.

24. Unless it clearly appears that they have been deliberately put the voter to serve as identification marks, the following shall not invalidate the ballot: commas, dots, lines, or hyphen between y\the first name and surname of candidate, or in other parts of the ballot, as well as traces of letters such as “t” and “j”, the first letters or syllables of names that voter does continue, the use of two m\ or more kinds of writing, and unintentional or accidental flourishes strokes, or strains.

25. Any ballot that clearly appears to have been filed by two distinct persons before it was deposited in the ballot box during the voting is totally null and void.

26. Any vote cast in favor of a candidate who has been disqualified by final judgment shall be considered as stray and shall not be counted, but shall not invalidate the ballot.

27. Ballots wholly written in Arabic in localities where it is of general use are valid. To read them, the board of election inspectors may employ an interpreter who shall take an oath that he shall read the votes correctly.

28. The accidental tearing or perforation of a ballot does not annul it.

29. Failure to remove the detachable coupon from the ballot does not annul such ballot.