Want clean elections? Jobs open for checkers, encoders, filers, etc.

Various “job openings" are still available for prospective volunteers who want to help safeguard the May 14 elections, according to a Church-backed poll watchdog movement. The “VforCE (1 Million Volunteers for Clean Elections)" said the openings are for checkers, runners, encoders, readers, filers, shift supervisors, and system monitors. “(Volunteers should be) willing to donate time as volunteers, willing to work late at night (and) willing to get other people to volunteer," it said on its website (vforce.multiply.com). It said volunteers can contact organizers via email at vforce2007@gmail.com; cell phone at 09263041826; fax at 4265968; and landline at 4266101 local 3440/3441. The VforCE said it needs checkers to verify if the tallying of election returns in the May 14 polls is correct, and to identify dubious ERs. Runners will secure ERs during their transport to checkers, encoders, readers and filers. Encoders will input the ER results into the volunteer computer system. On the other hand, readers will dictate information from the ERs to the encoders, while filers will “segregate, organize, and file encoded ERs." The VforCE initially scheduled February and March for the recruitment of volunteers, and April for the training of volunteers in time for the parallel count operations in May. VforCE said it believes the credibility of the country’s institutions and its democracy are at stake in the May 2007 elections. “And we cannot let our frustration and distrust drive us away from the political arena. This will only embolden those who disregard the rule of law and undermine our institutions," it said. VforCE said it is a call to political engagement in the face of widespread social distrust not only of the electoral process but of national politics and political actors in general. “Instead of withdrawal, it calls for volunteerism and coordinated action especially from Church-based groups, with a particular challenge to energize, organize and mobilize the youth who comprise the huge majority of the voting-age population," it said. The group also said it is aiming for the longer term to develop leaders, constituencies and networks for building genuine democracy “towards 2010 and beyond." “The project is meant to serve as a portal that opens the way to different options for volunteerism," it added. - GMANews.TV