ELECTION INCIDENT DIGEST 2: Massive disenfranchisement looms with slow voting rate, machine failures

Amid slow pace of voting and machine failures, massive disenfranchisement looms for first-time voters in the automated elections, poll watchdog Workers' Electoral Watch (We-Watch) warned.

Based on SMS reports it received across the country, WE-Watch said an average of only 250 voters have completed the voting process as of noontime out of the estimated per clustered precint. Reasons for the delay range from late opening of precints to breakdowns of the Precint Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines.

In Sangi. Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, paper jam caused the counting machine to stop, cutting the number of finished voters at only 145 as of noontime. Voting has stopped since the PCOS broke down.

In a later report, only 180 have cast their votes as of 2 p.m. in Davao City.

At this slow rate, it estimated that only 600 would be able to vote per clustered precint at the end of the day, out of the 1,000 voters expected per cluster. This scenario looms despite the Commission on Elections' announcement that voting will be extended by an hour to 7 p.m.

“At the rate the automated election is going, we fear that a significant portion of the total voting population would not be accomodated by polling precints when the clock strikes 7 p.m. We fear that massive disenfranchisement awaits hundreds of thousands of voters,” said Joselito Natividad, WE-Watch lead convenor.

“Unless the Comelec troubleshoots erring machines or perhaps extend the voting period by more hours, many voters would lose the chane to vote in the country's first automated elections,” he added.

WE-Watch is currently monitoring 12 key cities from Baguio City to Davao City and is sending live updates using its Twitter account (workerswatch).

Reference: Joselito Natividad, WE-Watch lead convenor, 09088642151