THE voter’s registration verification machine (VRVM) was an innovation introduced in the elections Monday, May 13.
It was tested in Cebu precincts only last Friday, May 10, and already there were glitches like paper jams, battery problems and lack of familiarity with the devices. Blame it on the late announcement on the pilot testing of the VRVMs but their use led to long lines of voters in precincts until those in charge decided to go manual.
The next time election officials think of introducing something new to the voting process they should first test it themselves and give more time for people to be ready.
* * *
Otso Diretso could have come up with a better name as at least one voter thought it meant voting for senatorial candidates from numbers 1 to 8. That’s one lesson for political parties. Don’t go for a number in your party name or campaign slogan because this can confuse voters when they get their ballots and see the numbers beside the candidates’ names, which are arranged alphabetically.
While this voter wanted to choose Otso Diretso candidates, she ended up choosing Gary Alejano who is number 1 in the list down to Freddie Aguilar and to number 8. She knew she could vote for 12 so she continued down the list and picked four more, three of them in the Otso Diretso lineup.
Well, she still ended up voting for four Otso Diretso members.
* * *
There was one more reason why people waited for President Rodrigo Duterte to vote. Aside from waiting for him to go to his precinct, some observers wanted to make sure he voted this time because he failed to perform his duty as a citizen in the barangay elections in 2018.
No clear reason was given in 2018. People around him at first said “No reason” why the President failed to vote. Later reports said the President was too busy monitoring the elections to go out and vote.
Duterte voted Monday at his polling place at the Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School in Davao City.
* * *
Fake news was how they called it but it was disinformation to discourage voters from picking certain candidates. Election officials clarified that no withdrawals of candidacies or deaths of candidates happened on the eve of voting.
* * *
SunStar dubbed it “A coverage like no other” because it gave its readers election news reports in real time and on different platforms. What you used to get from the newspaper, you also got on your mobile phones, computers or tablets by going to the different SunStar accounts on social media and on www.sunstar.com.ph. You got more because the reports came in video, photos and live interviews.
SunStar will continue to cover election updates, especially the counting of votes and the declaration of winners. Keep reading the SunStar newspapers or get their replica from epaper.sunstar.com.ph. For digital reports, continue visiting www.sunstar.com.ph and Facebook accounts @sunstarcebu, @superbalitacebu, and @sunstarphilippines. The streaming is in partnership with Smart Communications Inc. and PLDT.