MANILA, Philippines — The special election in Antipolo City’s second district on Saturday rolled out smoothly and was expected to be a testing ground for improvements that could be applied in future nationwide elections, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia.
Teachers and poll watchers arrived at the polling precincts as early as 3 a.m.. While teachers prepared election materials, watchers from political parties and candidates set up for the expected arrival of voters.
Garcia noted, however, that preparations were also made to assist elderly voters and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
He said that 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. had been set aside primarily for vulnerable sectors, including senior citizens and PWDs, to allow them to vote without facing long lines or overcrowding.
“This early voting window is critical for our elderly and voters with disabilities,” Garcia said, noting that the arrangement helped them avoid the usual problems experienced in previous elections such as long queues, congestion and heat.
Garcia said many seniors and PWDs were already able to cast their ballots early in the day, benefiting from cooler weather and more orderly polling conditions.
In some cases, however, election officials also allowed other voters to cast ballots earlier than scheduled if there were no queues at polling stations.
Garcia said the Comelec had instructed members of the electoral boards that if polling places were already open and there were voters present who might not be able to return later — such as those heading to work — they could be allowed to vote even before the 7 a.m. opening to the general public.
“If there is no crowd and the polling place is already open, there is no reason to prevent someone from voting,” he said, adding that the main purpose of opening schools early was to make voting more accessible and efficient.
Garcia also pointed to the use of Priority Polling Places (PPP) designed to make voting easier for seniors and PWDs who may have difficulty climbing stairs to upper-floor classrooms where precincts are usually located.
Under the system, vulnerable voters may stay at the PPP, typically located on the ground floor, while a designated assistant retrieves their ballot from their assigned precinct.
To ensure security, ballots are not stored at the PPP. Instead, the voter signs a waiver authorizing an election assistant to collect the ballot from the proper precinct. The ballot is then brought to the PPP where the voter fills it out.
Once accomplished, the ballot is either returned by the assistant to the designated precinct for insertion into the vote-counting machine or, if the voter prefers, the voter may personally bring the ballot to the precinct with assistance from support staff.
Garcia acknowledged that minor confusion sometimes would arise when some senior citizens or PWDs would insist on personally bringing their ballots to their assigned precincts despite using the PPP.
“Some of them still want to personally drop their ballots into the machine,” he said, adding that election staff continue to assist them in doing so safely if they prefer.
Opportunities
Garcia said the Comelec treated special elections as opportunities to refine procedures and identify adjustments that could make future polls more efficient and orderly.
“Special elections help us study what changes we need to make so that future elections will run more smoothly,” he said.
He cited a previous special election in Cavite that followed the vacancy created when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla left his congressional seat after being appointed secretary of the Department of Justice.
Voting across polling precincts in the second district of Antipolo proceeded without major problems as of Saturday morning, with election officials monitoring developments through the commission’s operations center.
Unlike regular national and local elections in the Philippines, the Antipolo special election used manual vote counting, a system Garcia acknowledged would take longer than automated elections.
He said canvassing of votes was expected to begin around 6 p.m. after voting ends and may continue through the night.
Despite the manual process, Garcia expressed confidence that the results would be known quickly because only one position is being contested.
“Manual elections are slower, although it helps that there is only one position being contested,” he said, adding that the commission expects to proclaim the winning candidate by Sunday morning.
Garcia also sought to address concerns about the integrity of manual vote counting, saying extensive security measures were in place to safeguard the process.
Personnel from the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines were deployed across the province to secure polling areas, while poll watchers from political parties and candidates were present in precincts.
“With the presence of security forces and watchers from the parties and candidates, it is impossible for irregularities to happen,” Garcia said.
He also noted that elections in Rizal Province have historically been peaceful and that the province has never been classified as a critical election hotspot.