THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday thumbed down calls for the suspension of its online precinct finder saying many have waited for its return since 2016.
In an interview, Elections Commissioner George Garcia said it would be wrong to drop the project as it would frustrate voters, who may benefit or have benefited from the online system.
The precinct finder system of the Comelec provides voters their polling place, precinct number, and voter registration status.
“We shouldn’t remove the precinct finder system. Many have called for its return. Now that it’s back, why should we remove it?” said Garcia, adding that the system has even resulted to an increased interest in the May 9 elections.
“We are happy that there is a high interest now with the Precinct Finder. And with this interest, we expect that many will vote come Election Day,” he added.
Instead of blaming the supposed confusion to the Precinct Finder system, the poll official said it would be better if end users will ensure that there is no human error on their part in using it.
“We should realize that there is that human factor, such as wrong spelling of names typed in the system,” said Garcia.
Poll lawyer Romulo Macalintal yesterday called on the Comelec to suspend the use of the precinct finder system, supposedly because it has been causing confusion among voters, such as those who can’t find their name or were found to be deactivated.
DISENFRANCHISEMENT
Macalintal said the confusion caused by the precinct finder system among voters may lead to massive disenfranchisement.
“Sa aking palagay, siguro oras na para itigil na muna natin ang paggamit nito (To me, it’s probably time to stop its use). Ako’y nananawagan din sa Comelec (I’m also asking the Comelec), let us stop using this system because it is not really helping our electorate,” Macalintal said in a Facebook Live video.
The election lawyer said he has received numerous complaints from voters who cannot find their names, and from those whose records have been deactivated or placed under review.
Macalintal warned that this could lead to massive disenfranchisement of voters, especially among the young and newly registered voters who use the system to verify their record.
“The moment they find out na wala silang record dahil sinasabi ng precinct finder na record not found, baka they may not go further. Baka hindi na sila manaliksik pa kung anong gagawin nila (The moment they find out that they have no record because the precinct finder says so, they may not go further. They may give up in trying to find out what to do),” he said.
“This is very, very dangerous. It may cause massive disenfranchisement of voters,” said the veteran election lawyer who represented the Vice President in the electoral protest filed against her before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) by former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. after he lost the 2016 vice presidential race.
Macalintal advised those who received wrong information from the precinct finder to go respective their election officers where they can verify their name and status. On election day, he said voters can also verify their names on the list posted outside their precincts.
Aside from that, Macalintal said there’s also an Election Day Certified Voters List (EDCVL) where voters whose names are not included on this list cannot cast their votes on election day.
VOTER INFORMATION SHEETS
Aside from the precinct finder system, Garcia said registered voters should also wait for their Voters Information Sheet (VIS) that will be provided by the local Comelec offices.
He assured that all VIS, which contain similar information as the ones in the online system, will be delivered to all registered voters in time for the May 9 polls.
“It may have been delayed since there are 67.4 million voters. But more importantly, we assure you that you will get your VIS,” said Garcia.
“Our commitment is, even though there are only a few days before Election Day, we will be able to distribute all the VIS,” he added. “The reports of all our field offices state that we have printed them 100 percent,” he also said.
In addition, he said they have also ordered the hiring of distributors who will deliver 700 VIS pieces per day for 10 days.
Under Republic Act No. 7904, the Comelec must provide all registered voters, through registered mail, with a voter information sheet at least 30 days before an election. — With Wendell Vigilia
