Comelec pushing for early voting for senior citizens, PWDs

The Commission on Election (Comelec) is pushing for the passage of the bill allowing vulnerable sectors including senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to vote early in the next elections. 

“Nagpupursige kami ever since on early voting for senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women and indigenous peoples. Dapat ang treatment natin sa kanila ay katulad ng media, Armed Forces of the Philipines, Philippine National Police. Dapat pinaboboto natin sila ng isang linggo man lang bago ang election,” said Comelec Chairman George Garcia during his keynote speech during the Updates on Political Party Institutionalization and the 2025 National and Local Elections conference held at The Bayleaf Intramuros on Wednesday.

(We have been persevering to push early voting for senior citizens, PWDs, pregnant women, and indigenous people. Our treatment of them should be the same as for the media, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and the Philippine National Police. We should allow them to vote at least a week before the election.) 

Senate Bill No. 2361 grants the vulnerable sectors to cast their ballots at accessible establishments designated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) within seven working days before the date set for local and national elections.

“Kung hindi magiging batas yan sa buong pilipinas mag-early voting hours nalang po kami kahit yung 5 to 6 a.m., maging exclusive sa kanila, napakalaking tulong na ‘yon para sa kanila,” Garcia added. 

(If that doesn't become a law in the whole Philippines, let's just have early voting hours, even 5 to 6 a.m., be exclusive to them, that will be a huge help for them.) 

He noted that a lot of senior citizens, PWDs, and heavily pregnant women participated in the pilot run for early voting in the cities of Naga in Camarines Sur and Muntinlupa in Metro Manila during the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) last month.

Mall voting 

The Comelec is also eyeing the expansion of the mall voting areas nationwide for the 2025 poll, after the successful run during the pilot test in 2023 BSKE. 

“Sixty-three percent of Filipinos voted sa mall, labing isa lang ‘yon, nagpilot test lang tayo at napakaganda po ng kanilang experience. Walang vote buying,” said Garcia. 

(Sixty-three percent of Filipinos voted in the mall, in only eleven [malls] where we did a pilot test, and their experience was very good. There was no vote buying.) 

“Basta ang rule namin, wala dapat may ari na pulitiko ng mga malls,” he added. 

(It's just our rule that no politician should own the malls.) 

He noted that the collaboration with the selected malls that participated in the recent BSKE was free. 

“Ang mall voting pinagkaloob sa amin ng mga malls, na wala kaming binayad,” he said.

(The mall voting was granted to us by the malls, for which we did not even pay.) 

On Wednesday, Garcia also urged Congress to annul the entire list of registered voters after the 2025 poll. 

The Comelec head is proposing a month of general registration of voters to determine an accurate number of Filipinos who can vote in the future. — BM, GMA Integrated News