Potential ‘game changer’ local absentee voters cast their ballots

Absentee voting site at Comelec headquarters in Palacio del Gobernador. —INQUIRER.net/John Eric Mendoza

MANILA, Philippines — More than 57,000 local absentee voters, a relatively small sector but whose votes could be a potential game changer in the senatorial race decided by a razor thin margin, begin casting their ballots on Monday.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman George Erwin Garcia said the votes of these government employees, police and military personnel, as well as members of the media could decide the fate of senatorial candidates gunning for “Magic 12.”

Garcia recalled that sometime in 2007 or 2010, a senator who clinched the 12th spot only had 10,000 more votes than the 13th candidate.

READ: Absentee voting for midterm polls begins

“Therefore, that’s how critical the 57,000 voters are, because this can deliver a vote in favor of somebody or against somebody,” Garcia said in a press conference during the proceeding.

A total of 29,030 military personnel, 23,448 police personnel, 4,206 government employees and 1,005 members of the media which are on duty in May 12 polls could still practice their right of suffrage on Tuesday (April 29) until Wednesday (April 30).

Garcia noted that the turnout of local absentee voters in 2022 presidential elections was at 88 percent, and the Comelec is anticipating lower turnout, as is wont during midterm polls.

First-ever automated

This was also the first time when the absentee voting was done using automated counting machines unlike previously when the process was done manually.

Previously, local absentee voters manually wrote down their candidates’ names on a paper which was dropped in a ballot box and manually counted.

But now, their ballots will be kept in secure envelopes and boxes which will be fed into machines on election day on May 12 along with the votes of more than 68 million voters.

Allan Francis Abaya, head of the committee on absentee voting, was the first one who voted among 922 Comelec employees at the absentee voting site at Comelec headquarters in Palacio del Gobernador.

Abaya, who voted manually in previous polls, noted that the process is easier and faster for absentee voters because “we will just shade the ballots compared to manual [voting] where you have to write the names of candidates.”

“I am the first voter in the main office and the process went smoothly, it would appear that our special electoral boards are trained and I am assured of the security of my ballots,” the Comelec official also said in an interview.