An environmental group slammed the "unrestrained" distribution of sample ballots during the midterm elections that left public places littered with trash.
"We are deeply saddened by the unrestrained distribution of sample ballots near polling places as if the campaign period is not yet over," EcoWaste Coalition's national coordinator Aileen Lucero said in a statement posted on Facebook.
"This practice has resulted to widespread littering in most polling centers," she added.
She also reminded the public that littering of sample ballots is a violation of local and national environmental laws especially the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act or R.A. 9003.
"Like the reported incidents of vote buying, littering has again tainted the democratic exercise of choosing our political leaders," she said.
To halt the practice of having to get sample ballots, she encouraged voters in next elections to come to polling centers prepared with their own voting list.
She also called for strict enforcement electoral and environmental laws.
- James Amante, ABS-CBN News
elections 2019, Halalan2019, campaign materials, EcoWaste Coalition, environment protection