Friday, March 09, 2007 Roperos: Pursuit of name recall By Godofredo M. Roperos Politics Also
A NATIONAL daily recently put out on its front page a weekend political forum about popularity and machinery—which one can make a national candidate win? Or which one can a senatorial candidate depend on to win the elections?
Yes, with showbiz people thinking that their popularity would make them win, this really is an interesting topic for discussion.
Truth to tell, I think one is as necessary as the other to win an election. But I would like to amplify the point on popularity.
Translated into political reality, popularity is nothing but the means to make voters recall the candidate’s name the moment he fills the blanks in the ballot. With 12 spaces to fill up in the case of the senators, making the voter recall the candidate’s name at the moment of voting is crucial. There is, of course, the sample ballot.
Here emerges the other factor in the voting process: the political machinery that not only helps voters recall the candidate’s name but also impels them to write the said name on the ballot. And this is the most crucial to the fortunes of the candidate. Here, he or she either wins or losses.
But really, what does it matter to be very popular, spending millions of pesos on television, radio and the print media if on the final day the candidate has no cash to “fuel” his political machine?.
At least one or two senatorial candidates have reportedly been spending millions of pesos to make their name familiar to the voting public. That is all right, especially if the jingles are sung by children on the streets.
But to my mind, what really matters is how a candidate converts his popularity into votes. If he has network of precinct level workers in vote-heavy provinces or towns, he can have his sample ballots brought to the polling booths by the voters.
Having the protective arm of a political group makes things easier for a senatorial bet, but still that is no assurance of getting the vote. Those who have runners and guides to take care of the voter right up to the doorstep of the political precinct will have the best advantage over candidates who have none. It ensures that the candidate’s sample ballot will be the one the voter will use.
There have been candidates who concentrate on making themselves popular to the electorate only to find themselves without the cash to fund his precinct workers on the final day. This is the most important part of the elections to a candidate, having his name written correctly on the ballot.
