Senate panel recommends allowing poll lawyers, electoral staff to be absentee voters

Aside from teachers, soldiers, members of the media, and overseas Filipino workers, election lawyers and electoral staff of national candidates and accredited national political parties could soon be allowed to vote before election day once a bill approved by a Senate committee is passed into law.

 

The committee on electoral reforms and people's participation, in its report signed by 15 senators, said the Commission on Elections shall extend the right to vote under the local absentee voting system to electoral staff and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines who will not be able to vote on election day due to the performance of their functions.

 

Under Committee Report No. 143, the number of electoral staff of a national candidate, an accredited national political party or party-list that may participate in absentee voting shall be limited to the total number of provinces, highly urbanized cities, and independent component cities.

 

Meanwhile, a maximum of three election lawyers, who are duly registered voters, per candidate, accredited national political party, or accredited party-list shall be allowed to avail of the right to vote under the local absentee voting system.

 

Those who will partipate in the absentee voting shall only be allowed to vote for the positions of President, Vice President, Senators, and party-list representative.

 

The Comelec is tasked to promulgate rules and regulations which shall include a system of accredition and verification of the electoral staff and election lawyers who are qualified to avail of local absentee voting. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News