ELECTION DAY REMINDERS

The midterm election this year is scheduled on May 13, 2013, and that means that no new president, vice-president and barangay officials will be elected to office. The stage is set, the players are on the prowl, and in a few months time we shall all be called again to exercise our right and responsibility to elect new officials in the countrys second automated election. Local candidates will start their official campaigning on the 30th of March (originally slated on March 29 which fell on Good Friday), and national candidates are well underway in roaming the country to present their campaign platforms. COMELEC officials are preparing for the remaining activities that would ensure the success of the May 13 election. Fifty million Filipinos are expected to troop to precincts nationwide. In addition to the election of national and local officials, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) will elect their own governing body.

A rundown of the automated voting procedure We are once again called upon to decide on the fate and future of our nation, and this grave responsibility ought to be foremost in the minds of every registered voter. Therefore, everyone should be fully aware of the basic procedures involved on Election Day itself. It bears remembering that once again, the election will be using the PCOS machine, which was introduced to the voting public for the first time in the presidential elections of 2010.

The process is similar to the traditional manual voting method in many ways. After verification of voters identity, the election official presents the voter with a ballot. Since the ballot will be fed to a machine for counting, the similarities end there. The ballot is filled out by shading the oval placed next to the name of the candidate.

When it comes to shading the ballot, there is no need to be apprehensive about doing it wrong. The requirement is that the oval be shaded fully. But, for as long as over 50% the area is shaded, the vote is still counted and valid. Now, in situations where the voter shades two spaces for one position (overvoting) the whole ballot would not be invalidated. But the vote for that particular position is invalidated. The Ballot: Important Reminders for Voters A registered voter is given only one ballot. In case a voter makes a mistake (shades the wrong space corresponding to a candidates name, then he or she would have to live with it. The best thing to do is to make sure that no errors are made since there are no second chances. There are no proxies as well when the time to insert the ballot into the machine comes. Once the voter inserts the official ballot, it is counted as one, marked by a tick on the counter.

Good to know: What makes the ballot secure? Each ballot is equipped with a barcode that is in itself unique. The main purpose of this identifier is for the ballot to be counted only once. This security measure ensures that validity of the vote. The PCOS machine is equipped with a couple of security measures as well. First of all, each PCOS machine is assigned a specific precinct. It will not accept ballots that are not meant for that particular precinct. And the PCOS machine has a lens that has the capability to detect ultraviolet (UV) ink. The machine scans for this before accepting the ballot being fed to it. Reminders for Candidates: Prohibited Acts In mid-February of this year, Malacaang announced important dates related to the May election as well as prohibited acts for candidates who are running in this years race. The reminders refer to the provisions of COMELE Resolution 9385 and COMELEC Resolution 9637. The Commission lists period prohibited acts during the election in detail. Here are some of the items included in the list:

Vote buying Vote selling Unlawful solicitation of votes or electioneering Bribing/Conspiracy to bribe Use of public funds for campaign and election-related purposes Wagers on election results Coercion of subordinates: no direct or indirect influencing of votes Direct or indirect threats/intimidation Coercion of assigned election officials Appointment, promotion, salary increase 45 days prior to a regular election Maintenance and organization of an action/strike/attack force for personal use Carrying of firearms and other deadly weapons

The gun ban is still in effect All around the country, checkpoints have been established starting on January 12, 2013 as a means of monitoring the gun ban imposed by the COMELEC, which will be in effect from January 13 to June 12, 2013, a period of 150 days. Additional checkpoints may be set up in hot spots at the discretion of the local Philippine National Police hierarchy. The gun ban involves suspension of permits to carry firearms in public areas. The following individuals are exempt from the ruling on-duty members of the police force, on duty military troops, top officials, and people who are under threat. The main purpose of the gun ban is to prevent eruption of election-related violence given the history of political rivalries that in the past have led to bloodshed and unnecessary loss of life. Violators of the gun ban could face up to six years jail time if proven guilty.

There are only about 6 weeks left before the Filipino nation elects new members of the House of Representatives and the Philippine Senate, as well as provincial, city and municipal government officials. That should be plenty of time for the COMELEC, the candidates, and the voting public to prepare themselves for the roles that they are going to play. Hopes are high that this years election will be a valid, peaceful, and successful one.