E-Day 9th of May 101
/The Get Out the Vote (GOTV) operation is the heart of the campaign’s ground game. The years of preparation culminate in the ability to get people to actually vote for their candidate. In the US., GOTV entails the setting up of an elaborate phone and social media bank where volunteers diligently and ardently woo their supporters to personally fill out or mail in their ballot.
In the Philippines, the unpalatable truth is that GOTV means the funneling of loads of money from campaign headquarters to local government officials and political operators who will entice voters to choose certain candidates.
Vote-Buying
Vote buying
The sad reality is that many voters “know not what they do.” They hardly assess a candidate’s character, credibility, and competence. No thanks to patronage politics, they trade their long-term future for short-term gain.
Vote-buying has become a staple of our elections -- a “tradition” that has evolved into a wrongful expectation. While clearly prohibited (see Section 261(a) of the Omnibus Election Code), the reality on the ground is that the law is (dis)honored more by its breach. This has led many of our moral leaders to take a practical position of allowing voters to take the money but vote in accordance with their conscience. Ironically though, some of these voters value their palabra de honor (word of honor) and choose to abide by their Faustian bargain. The Covid pandemic will not help curb this pernicious practice but will only aggravate it. The economic pinch, coupled with rising inflation being felt by an impoverished majority, makes this illegal ayuda (help) to be the gift that keeps on giving this upcoming election.
Buy-Bus/Detain-Entertain
In a buy-bust drug operation, a law enforcer poses as a buyer to entrap a drug dealer. In a buy-bus voter operation, political operatives buy the voters and bus them to and from (hatid/sundo) the polling precinct on E-day.
Variations to this “cheat-nique” have evolved over time. Those who cannot be convinced to vote for a certain candidate will instead be paid NOT to vote on E-day. Hence they will be quartered during voting hours and/or have the indelible ink administered to their finger to prevent them from voting. Still another variant has been developed for spoiled voters who will NOT vote only if they are entertained in an out-of-town resort.
In elections conducted in far-flung areas where there are hardly any watchers, the local warlords would advise the residents to simply not show up as their minions would look after inserting pre-filled ballots into the vote counting machines (VCMs). These are places where volunteers are desperately needed.
But for the first time in Philippine electoral history, this traditional distribution system is being challenged. The unprecedented wave of volunteerism sweeping across the country is changing our political landscape. How this awakened force will impact the results of the forthcoming elections remains to be seen. In this regard, volunteer parexcellence Shirley Enriquez asked for my four centavos on some basic E-day issues.
“You can safeguard your vote by being “present.” Being present not only means casting your vote, but also being vigilant and alert to suspicious activities and unusual occurrences in your polling center. ”
What are the red flags to look out for on E-day?
Delays and disruptions in the election proceedings. We have already witnessed delays and disruptions in the voting by overseas Filipinos. I hope there will be fewer incidents on May 9.
Voting starts at 6 a.m. and ends at 7 p.m. If the election equipment and paraphernalia are not delivered on time, or if there is a machine malfunction, the actual time within which the voting happens is shortened. Similarly, violence, power outages, and voter confusion may deter and disrupt voting in a particular locality.
How does the pandemic impact the voting process?
Disinformation is rampant, so make sure to verify the official Comelec protocols for voting. The longer it takes for people to vote the greater the chances of disenfranchisement.
How can I safeguard my vote?
You can safeguard your vote by being “present.” Being present not only means casting your vote, but also being vigilant and alert to suspicious activities and unusual occurrences in your polling center.
What are the rights of a voter? At what point can I feel safe about my vote?
After inserting a completed ballot into the VCM, the latter will print a receipt to enable you to verify the accuracy of your vote. Remember you can under-vote and leave unshaded ovals. But if you over-vote, the machine will not count the vote(s) for that particular position. When the Comelec was directed by the Supreme Court to provide a voter receipt for the 2016 elections, our concern was that an unscrupulous group of voters could claim that their receipts did not jibe with their cast votes. Be on the lookout for this potential disruption tactic. Note that the voter is strictly prohibited from bringing out the receipt, taking a photo thereof or doing a selfie with his or her ballot. Otherwise, this would serve as the best evidence to collect the “reward” for voting for a particular set of candidates.
What can you advise first-time voters?
Google the process of voting and familiarize yourself with the steps you will be taking. Vote early. Prepare your kodigo(lineup list) of candidates that you have decided to vote for before heading to the polling precinct.
What are the rights of a volunteer?
Aside from the watchers of the candidates and political parties, there are accredited volunteers from the National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) who are trained to help voters vote. Both groups are tried and tested non-partisan organizations that promote a fair and free election.
What can volunteers do on E-day?
Volunteers should serve as amateur journalists. I suggest that they form teams. They can take photos and videos outside of the polling precinct. They should use the Hopewatch and Namfrel apps to report their findings. But please do not add to the confusion by propagating disinformation and fake news.
Poll watchers from the Parish Pastoral Council For Responsible Voting (Source: Rappler)
Can I wear my candidate’s campaign color when I vote?
You can wear whatever you want. I have been reading conflicting claims on social media on whether to wear pink on E-day. Some discourage it because supporters may be prevented from entering the polling precinct or their ballot may be smudged. But just like the game-changing rallies, some encourage the contrary position as a show of pink force may be able to deter possible cheating.
In this most important election in our lifetime, an existential fork in the road for our history, where the nation’s soul is at stake, there are only two directions to take. We will either move toward the light and reclaim our democratic dignity and decency or retreat deeper into the dark recesses of our past, imprisoned anew in a dungeon of danger, deceit, and disinformation.
“There is a price to pay for speaking the truth. There is a bigger price for living a lie.” - Cornel West
Leni-Kiko in their pink shirts (Source: facebook)
Before serving as chairperson of the Philippine Commission on Elections (2015-17) and Presidential Commission on Good Government (2010-15) the agency tasked to recover the Marcos ill-gotten wealth, Andy Bautista worked with two international law firms in New York and Hong Kong (1993-2006). He also served as dean of the Far Eastern University Institute of Law (1999-2013).
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