For ease of voting, Commission on Elections officials have reminded voters to make a complete list of their candidates before proceeding to the polling centers.
Comelec Benguet Election Officer Dexter Cawis said the list would help voters in easily shading their ballots, which would also lessen voting time.
Cawis said the voter’s information sheet would soon be distributed to each registered voter.
Republic Act 7904 states the Comelec must provide all registered voters, through registered mail, with a voter information sheet (VIS) at least 30 days before an election. The VIS contains the voter’s name, address, the precinct and the place where he is registered, and simplified instructions in the casting of votes.
He said a sample ballot containing the actual candidates would also be included, where the voters can shade and use as basis when casting their votes.
Cawis said VIS are expected to have been distributed this month.
Another way for voters to see their voting information beforehand is by accessing the online precinct finder, which will soon be launched at the Comelec website.
The Comelec earlier signed with the Department of Information and Communications Technology a partnership on online services for the May 2022 polls.
One of these services is the online portal which will allow voters to search for their polling center, precinct number, and voting status if active or deactivated. The portal is not yet available at the Comelec website.
Tublay Election Officer Jeffrey Rubino, who earlier conducted a dry run for the elections in one of the polling centers in the municipality, said the voter’s assistance desk will also be put in place during the election day, which would be manned by the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV).
The PPCRV is the accredited citizen’s arm of the Comelec as poll watchdog for the 2022 elections and in the previous elections.
In the voters’ assistance desk, the public will be assisted in finding their precinct number so they will not crowd at the certified voter’s list area.
The public can also visit their respective Comelec offices to inquire of their voter’s information in time for the election.
Comelec-Cordillera Assistant Director Vanessa Roncal said senior citizens, illiterate individuals and other persons with special needs are allowed to bring someone who could assist them during the elections.
She said those who will assist these persons must be a relative of the voter or persons that the voter’s trust.
“If they don’t have anyone to accompany them, the electoral boards would be the one to assist the voters,” Roncal said.
She urged the voters to check on their voting status and information, to ensure they are can vote during the May 2022 elections. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 26, 2024
