Govt to extend voting hours

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will extend the voting hours in the 2022 elections so that anti-Covid-19 protocols will be properly observed.

In the virtual Kapihan sa ASoG (Ateneo de Manila School of Governance) on Monday, Comelec Commissioner Antonio Kho Jr. said two to four hours will be added to the usual eight-hour voting period.

“Comelec has the power under the law to extend voting hours. So it’s almost sure that [voting hours] will be extended. Probably 10 to 12 hours. Before it was eight hours, but it is not applicable anymore,” Kho said.

He said proposals to hold a two- or three-day election were turned down because they needed legislation to implement.

The number of voters per precinct will also be reduced to 800 voters, depending on the availability of vote counting machines (VCMs), he said.

The Comelec has stockpiled at least 97,000 VCMs, which were used in the 2016 and 2019 elections.

Kho said not all of the VCMs will be in working condition, so Comelec will probably acquire 10,000 brand-new machines as replacements.

Next year’s elections need a budget of between P800 million to P1 billion, which will include expenses for health protocols, he said.

The poll body has formed a New Normal Committee that will come up with ways to address the challenges posed by the pandemic. Kho said the preparations made by Comelec for the recent plebiscite in Palawan will provide valuable insights for the committee.

The guidelines will cover the preparation of ballots, registration procedures, the transport of materials and the modes of campaigning in a Covid situation.

He said alcohol hand sprays and digital thermometers will be a part of election paraphernalia, and no face mask, no vote rule will be enforced.

Kho also said the Comelec will conduct a three-in-one conference to create the new normal election manual.

He promised that the 2022 elections will be honest, free, fair and safe.

Kho said Comelec is also considering creating a website where people can see who the candidates are.

It is also studying the option to spread the filing of certificates of candidacy or COCs over several days to ensure the proper implementation of social distancing.

Even as Comelec weighed anti-Covid measures for next year’s polls, Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba has proposed that the elections be called off until the majority of the population is vaccinated against Covid-19.

During the flag-raising ceremony at the capitol on Monday, Mamba said pushing through with the vote at a time the pandemic has not subsided could lend political color to the government’s Covid response.

“What is important now is that the people should not be divided especially that elections cause division among the people. Let us not divide our people and let us not politicize our war against Covid-19,” he said.

Mamba said the people will be put at risk especially during house-to-house campaigns, political rallies and related events.

“It is best for the country to postpone the elections because we may not be able to cope with the worst effects of the pandemic in case we become like India and America where Covid-19 infections have worsened due to politics and elections,” he said.

It would be better to realign funds for holding elections to the fight against Covid-19, Mamba said.

The governor suggested that the House of Representatives and Senate be transformed into a Constituent Assembly that will work on the postponement of the elections.

With KAITHREEN CRUZ AND LEANDER C. DOMINGO