MEYCAUAYAN CITY, Bulacan – Voters were impressed as their voting process only took 10 minutes during Monday's midterm elections.
In this city, Gloria Crismundo was surprised at how smooth the process was, especially compared to previous elections where long queues were common and voting typically took from one hour to one-and-a-half hours.
“There was no line at all in my assigned room,” she said, sharing that she only voted between 10:25 a.m. and 10:35 a.m.
She credited the smooth and hassle-free voting experience to checking her precinct number in advance through Commission on Elections' (Comelec) precinct finder.
Her room assignment was also the same as in previous elections, which added to the ease and familiarity of the process.
“What I noticed is that electoral board staff handed out a small form where we could write our name, precinct, sequence number, gender, and whether we were pregnant, a senior citizen, or a PWD (person with disability). This really helped them find our names quickly,” she said in mixed English and Filipino.
The voter said she had a list of candidates she intended to vote for, which made her voting process faster.
“My voter receipt also correctly reflected everyone I voted for,” she added.
The 10-minute voting process was also experienced by Anna Jean Zabala from Cainta.
“Everything was well-organized at our precinct – from quickly finding my name, with my updated surname – to receiving and filling out the ballot,” he said.
Early voting for seniors, pregnant, PWDs
Zabala also lauded the early voting for senior citizens, pregnant women, and PWDs from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. as this helped in reducing the queue after 7 a.m.
“It’s also great that priority voters like senior citizens had a special time slot early in the morning, plus there’s still a dedicated lane for those who missed their scheduled time,” she said.
This was also echoed by Emerolf Felix, a voter from Bulakan, Bulacan.
“As someone assisting my senior parents, the early voting significantly eased the process. It not only saved time but also reduced health risks for my parents by avoiding the usual large crowd. We truly appreciate how well-prepared and organized our local school was,” Felix said.
“It took us less than 30 minutes to find our precinct, get verified, fill out our ballots, submit them, and get inked.”
Bulacan is the Philippines' third vote-rich province, with over 2.17 million voters, based on latest data from the Comelec.
Meycauayan City, meanwhile, has more than 134,000 registered voters. (PNA)