Leni urges voters: Don't leave Eleksyon 2022 to chance

Vice President Leni Robredo on Tuesday called on voters to go out and register so that the 2022 elections would not be left to "chance."

In an episode of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Gregorio "Goyo" Larrazabal's Youtube channel, Robredo lamented that some voters, particularly students, are eligible to vote but did not register for the polls.

"We need to register because it turned out later on that many did not register. Many students are of voting age but did not register. So to me, for me, it can't be like anything, like our campaign is just in the air. Apparently we don't leave it to chance," Robredo told the former poll body official.

Despite groups urging people to exercise their right of suffrage, Robredo also cited that some have become numb on the elections because they believe that their votes would not matter.

"There are actually advocacy groups that really urge people to register and there are some, it seems like the others have become numb. Numb in the sense that, "Nothing will happen, I'm just one vote," said Robredo, in a mix of Filipino and English.

The vice president also likened 2016 US elections wherein former President Donald Trump won against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to the fate of senatorial opposition slate Otso Diretso, which did not secure a post in the senatorial race of the 2019 elections.

Clinton did not win despite leading in surveys because most of her supporters did not vote. Similarly, Robredo noted that most of Otso Diretso's supporters are students who did not vote.

"Otso Diretso won in all surveys in universities, campuses but no candidate secured a spot in the Top 12 because students, who vote for them during the surveys, did not vote in the real elections," she pointed out.

Tap private organizations for voter registration

Robredo suggested that local government units should coordinate with volunteer groups who can offer free rides for voter registration, which will invite people to participate in the next year's polls.

"I think there are a lot of creative ways of doing it but we really need the collaboration of many different groups, eh. Because ordinary people, even before the pandemic, especially your apolitical ones, don't want to go because your queue is long," Robredo said when asked about ways to encourage people to vote amid the pandemic.

"They don't want to go because they still need public transport to get there. But you know, your LGU, barangays can have a program to help different groups advocating for registration. For example, it could be — like what we do in the office as a volunteer — a volunteer group that offers free rides," she added.

But, to erase possible soliciting of votes from local officials, Robredo proposed that private organizations should also step in to urge the public to go out of their homes and vote.

"It's better to tap private organizations to avoid the temptation of candidates soliciting votes. And I think, from the experience we have here in the office, that when we provide platforms for private organizations or private individuals to, you know, it seems, ordinary persons are enticed to help," said Robredo.—LDF, GMA News