Amid issues of the “voting dead,” poll watchdog Kontra Daya on Wednesday asked the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure a clean master list of voters for the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.
In an interview, Kontra Daya convenor Danilo Arao also warned the public against “flying voters.”
“The Comelec should ensure that the master list of voters is up-to-date. We have specific calls on the issue of ‘the voting dead,’” he said.
“There is a possibility that there will be flying voters as IDs can be faked and indelible inks can be washed off even if this could be a bit challenging,” he added.
A flying voter is a person, who votes more than once during elections by using other registered voters’ names, including deceased individuals.
According to Arao, the poll body should hasten the uploading of the precinct finder so that voters could be able to search their names as well as their deceased relatives’ voter information status.
“Full transparency on the security measures [must be] put in place to protect the master list,” he said.
“Strengthened vigilance among people in reporting the deaths in the family, especially those who have been active voters [must be implemented],” Arao added.
He also said proper coordination between the Comelec and Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) must be done to reconcile the data with the poll body’s certified list of voters.
Earlier, the poll body asked the relatives of individuals who died during the pandemic to report or notify the local Comelec offices to prevent anomalies during the May 9 elections.
In the House of Representatives, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers has filed House Bill 69 to amend Section 9 of Republic Act 8189 or Voter’s Registration Act of 1996 to prevent flying voters.
The bill requires the presentation not only of proof of identity but also proof of residence for the purpose of voter’s registration to prevent the problem of perennial flying voters.
“It is now a rampant practice in our country before the election period for people to register anew or transfer their registration to a new place even if they are unqualified in terms of residency requirements for voter’s registration. They simply have to present their identification cards as proof of their identity just to qualify in their registration. This has been one of the sources of flying voters in the country,” he said.
Barbers said his proposal would strengthen and protect the sanctity of Filipinos right to suffrage and the integrity of the country’s election system.
The bill is still pending before the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms since 2019.