‘Kodigos’ for a faster poll process on May 13
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Fri, 26 Apr 2019 16:20:26 +0000
WE are down to the last two weeks of the campaign for the midterm election on Monday, May 13. The campaign ends Saturday, May 11. Sunday will be a day of rest. Then we go to the polls Monday, starting at 6 a.m.
For the national elections, voters will be electing 12 senators, one half of the Senate membership, and party-list organizations for the House of Representatives. For the local election, voters will be electing a governor and vice governor, a mayor and vice mayor, provincial board members, and town or city council members.
By this time, most voters will have made up their minds about their top choices. But there will be space in the ballot for some not-so-solid choices. This would be specially true for the senators, board members, and council members.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has thus come forward with a very helpful suggestion to voters: Come to the precincts with a “kodigo” in hand – a list of those they definitely want to vote for. This will help them save time and avert mistakes in filling the ballots.
We have already had several experiences with automated elections and the problem for many voters lies with scanning the long lists of candidates and making sure one marks the right oval opposite the name. Fill in as much of the oval as you can; a check or a cross or some other mark may not be recognized by the voting machines.
The machines have their instructions. No more than 12 votes for senators, for example; more than 12 and the entire list is rejected. A “kodigo” will help to avert this.
There is another reason the Comelec suggests voters will be ready with “kodigos.” Some 61 million voters are registered for the mid-term elections and while many will choose not to cast to vote this time, there will still be millions of voters who will crowd the precincts and they must be able to cast their votes before the voting ends at 6 p.m. Kodigos will considerably speed up the entire process.
The faster they can go through the process, the better for all concerned – for the voters, for the teachers manning the precincts, and for the Comelec officials who will be watching over the entire process, while hoping there will be no poll violence or any other kind of disruption that will cast doubt on the election.