I AM preparing myself for the pandemonium that I expect to find in polling precincts on election day. Is this a pro-duct of paranoia? Check the facts. One thousand voters in one precinct.
Voting only from 7 a.m.–6 p.m. Only 11 hours for 1,000 voters to cast their votes in one precinct. No time limit for voters to cast their votes. It’s pure and simple logistics.
What’s going to happen in far-flung areas where voters need to be transported to polling precincts? They won’t be there when the polling precincts open. Most likely, they will all congregate at the precincts in the afternoon, especially those expecting to get something for their votes.
These eleventh-hour voters will not all make it to the eleventh-hour unless, of course, they don’t actually have to vote—-unless someone simply tells them who to vote for. Command voting could take place—-this is not an unlikely scenario.
What about in election hotspots? All the private armies will, no doubt, be in full attendance. Will people be able to vote freely? Or will there be harassment and disenfranchisement of voters? Will the people actually be able to vote?
No less than National Police Chief Director General Jesus Verzosa has admitted that there is s shortage of policemen and soldiers to man polling precincts on election day. Don’t these people need to vote as well? When are they supposed to vote?
Perhaps, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should allow its own officials, teachers, personnel from defense and military establishments, members of the Board of Election Inspectors and other government officials tasked with poll duty on Election Day to vote one hour ahead of the public. Why not open the polling precincts to these select voters at 6 a.m.?
And what about the senior citizens? Is there a priority line for them at the polling precincts? They cannot queue up under current boiling temperatures. Even young and healthy voters are vulnerable to heat stroke under these conditions. And what’s going to happen to senior citizens whose polling precincts are located on the 3rd floor of a school building? Perhaps, a ground floor polling precinct should have been allocated for all senior citizens.
Have you had a chance to review the ballot? Have you received the sample ballot which the Comelec pledged to send all voters?
Well, I haven’t received mine. We have to do our share in these elections. We don’t only have to be vigilant; we also have to come to the precinct prepared so we can give as many people as possible a chance to vote. Prepare notes.
I know it’s late in the day to suggest this but for our first nation-wide fully-automated elections, perhaps, we should have done it in piecemeal fashion. Elections on Day 1 for Luzon, Day 2 for Visayas and Day 3 for Mindanao. This way, the country can harness all its resources and concentrate its energies in one area to ensure peaceful and orderly elections. This is a costly exercise but this, I think, is definitely a less costly alternative than failure of elections.
(sunstarcebucolumnist@yahoo.com)