What to do when names of deceased loved ones are still on voters' list

What should you do if the names of your departed loved ones remain on the voters' list?

According to Kara David's report on "24 Oras" on Thursday, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said that notifying the next of kin is not enough to remove a deceased person from the list of eligible voters.

Comelec Commissioner George Garcia explained that the poll body wants to delist the dead person, but cannot do so because an official endorsement from the local civil registrar must be submitted first. 

Garcia noted they are legally mandated to take notice only of the certification by the local civil registrar.

“Ang pinakamalaki talagang problema ng Comelec and that is not provided for by the law – Republic Act 8189 – loophole ‘yun. Sana maayos ng kagalang-galang na Kongreso,” Comelec Commissioner George

(The biggest problem of the Comelec and that is not provided for by the law - Republic Act 8189 – that is a loophole. Hopefully, Congress can fix it.)

RA 8189 is the Voter's Registration Act which provides for a general registration of voters and a system of continuing registration.

“Paano kung namatay ang isang tao hindi doon kung saan siya nakatira?” he added.

(What if someone dies somewhere not within his residence?)

Former Comelec Commissioner Luie Tito Guia said relatives need to voluntarily go to the local Comelec office to inform them that their relative has died.

By doing so, Guia said that election officers can monitor who intends to use the name of the deceased in voting.

“Baka masyado nang late ngayon. Ang maganda kung alam sana presinto, kung saan bumoboto ‘yung deceased, pwede naman sigurong sulatan – na pwede gawin ngayon at this point,” he said.

(Maybe it's too late now. It would be good if the precincts, where the deceased is voting, could be notified that this can be done now at this point.)

Meanwhile, voter Marjorie Oriel expressed concern that her deceased loved ones could be used as “ghost voters.”

“Ayaw namin magamit sa pandaraya. So pwede ‘yung mga pangalan nila na active pa rin pwede nilang botohan…na ayaw naman naming mangyari sa mga kamag-anak namin na nanahimik na, bumoboto pa,” Oriel stressed.

(We don’t want to be used for fraud. Someone can vote using names that are still active… which we don't want to happen to our relatives who are now dead but are still voting.)—Mel Matthew Doctor/LDF, GMA News