Early voting for seniors, PWDs, pregnant moms begins

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MANILA, Philippines — Early voting for senior citizens, persons with disabilities (PWDs) and pregnant women got underway at 5 a.m. today in many polling precincts nationwide.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) adopted the early voting hours from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m.—two hours earlier than the rest of the voting population—for the first time this midterm elections, which has 18,255 local and national posts at stake.

Seniors citizens, PWDs and pregnant women, however, who could not vote early will still be given priority in the regular voting hours, through a courtesy lane.

READ: LIST: 20 voting centers with the most number of voters

“We should let them vote first. It’s just in a matter of minutes, let’s give it to them,” said Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia in an ambush interview at the sidelines of a walkthrough of the canvassing site at Manila Hotel Tent City.

“It’s better [to vote] earlier, let’s not wait until noon especially in the afternoon when people tend to rush,” Garcia added.

Around 12 million registered senior citizens and more or less 530,000 PWDs nationwide are qualified to vote early, according to Garcia. 

They are afforded the opportunity to cast their ballots early, unlike the rest of 68 million registered voters who can only vote from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Polling precincts on the ground floor will be provided for senior citizens, PWDs and pregnant voters.

Garcia noted that pregnant women and PWDs need not secure medical certificates from hospitals.

“They are instructed to adopt such kind of leeway,” he said of electoral board members. /cb