AS the May 2025 national and local elections are only five months away, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is conducting a nationwide voter education roadshow that started Monday.
The project is an important part of the poll body’s preparations for the midterm elections and also for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections.
In this time of rampant violations of election laws mainly orchestrated by unscrupulous politicians who still believe that what worked well before — guns and gold — would still procure them political power, Filipino voters are better apprised of their rights and responsibilities under our democratic electoral system. It is defeatist and counterproductive to think that because our electoral system is flawed, we should abandon all efforts to reform it.
‘For peaceful, genuine and credible elections next year, we urge voters to support this Comelec voter education roadshow.’
People still ask: Why do we need voter education? Isn’t the din of election rallies, house-to-house campaigns, motorcades, promises-laden speeches by candidates, and TV debates enough? There is a barrage of information overload in the traditional media, social media, and press forums already that voters have been served more than they could chew.
The short answer is that the Comelec is mandated by law to conduct voter education. It even has a whole department handling education and information.
In a democracy, the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of the government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections, which shall be universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. This is what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says.
On top of that, the Philippine Constitution provides that suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law. It instructs Congress to “provide a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by qualified Filipinos abroad.”
To be effective, the Comelec will need the support of local government units in organizing residents to attend forums and gatherings about voter education. It will greatly help that the poll body has included live demonstrations of the automated counting machine (ACM), allowing voters to familiarize themselves with the new technology.
We note the Comelec’s announcement that newly registered and old voters will have the opportunity to experience how to use the ACM. According to Comelec Chairman George Garcia, the country has 68.6 million registered voters, which is slightly below the projected 70 million.
“The goal of the roadshow is to introduce the automated counting machine to Filipino voters, to ensure they understand how to properly use the machine, and to reinforce the importance of exercising their right and responsibility to vote,” the Comelec said. The roadshow will run until Jan. 30, 2025, and roadshow venues are listed in the poll body’s official Facebook page.
For peaceful, genuine and credible elections next year, we urge voters to support this Comelec voter education roadshow.
