“All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

he principal task of Namfrel is to inform the people (as stakeholders), challenge them, and harness their power to actively participate in ensuring the conduct of free, orderly and honest elections.

Except for the law automating the counting and canvassing of the election passed almost a century after our first elections in 1899 in Baliwag, no major changes in the electoral process has been introduced.  This same electoral system continues to be prone to error, not to mention manipulation and subsequent undermining of the votes.

Fraud before voting

D   Vote buying/vote selling

                                    What you can do:

F            THINK! The offer to buy your vote is a temptation.  You have the power to resist, therefore, stopping this vicious cycle of subverting the otherwise free process of voting.  Therefore, you can RESIST the temptation and vote freely.

Ask yourself, why is the candidate treating your vote as a commodity or an item at a sari-sari store? Hindi kaya ang pag-aalok sa inyo ng kandidato ng pera kapalit ng inyong boto ay isang uri ng pambabastos? How will the candidate get back the money that is spent to buy votes?

Ano ang hihinging kapalit sa perang inaalok? Maaring makabili ng bigas at ulam para sa dalawang kainan ang P100 o P200 piso.  Mapapawi nga ng P200 piso ang iyong gutom, ngunit panandalian lamang.  Isipin mo kung sa paanong paraan makakabawi ang mapagsamantalang kandidatong ito sakaling siya ay manalo.   Maipagpapatuloy kaya niya ang pagpapakain sa iyo at sa iyong pamilya?  Naaalala ka na lang niya tuwing may halalan, ngunit kapag siya’y nasa posisyon na, makilala ka pa kaya niya?

Tandaan mo na kaakibat ng iyong boto ang iyong dangal.

When you sell your vote, will you not lose your right to demand accountability and good performance from the elected officials?

If someone is trying to bribe you, politely RESIST! State the reason why you are not accepting the offer, and in a non-violent manner, appeal to the person buying your vote to cease this practice.  If you are given the chance, talk and try to probe the motivation of the person buying the vote and try to influence him or her to respect the vote of his/her fellowmen.

In case you really cannot refuse the money, take it but remember that you do not owe the giver or the candidate anything.  Vote according to your conscience.  You may want to anonymously donate the money to a charitable institution.

D   In buying abstentions, voters are paid to not vote.  To ensure they cannot and will not be allowed to vote, indelible ink is applied on their right forefinger. 

D   Some candidates, in exploiting the poverty of our people, will promise voters jobs or job promotions, loans and other favors.  When they are elected, you will be begging them to make true their promises.

D   Paying members of the board of election inspectors to not perform their duties. 

What you can do:

C   The Election Code allows any voter or watcher, who has reasonable grounds, to challenge any person presenting to vote who is believed to have received or expects to receive money in exchange for his or her vote or that a person promised to buy off another's vote.  A challenge can also be made if there is reasonable ground to believe that the challenged voter has directly or indirectly made a bet on the outcome of the election.  

The challenged person shall take an oath before the board of election inspectors.  Upon taking such oath, the challenge shall be dismissed and the voter shall be allowed to vote.  In case the voter refuses to take such oath, the challenge is sustained and the voter shall not be allowed to vote.

 D   Direct threat to known supporters of opposing parties to not vote  

D   Sowing fear and unrest to discourage voters to vote  

D   Threatening members of the board of election inspectors to not assume their duties on election day  

In the 1998 elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, guns were indiscriminately fired causing fear among the boards of election inspectors.  The teachers refused to serve and elections were postponed in many precincts.  For a variety of reasons, elections in 17 municipalities in Lanao del Sur were postponed.

D   Assigning registered voters identified with a party to places where they cannot vote or far from their place of residence. 

D   Changing the numbering or location of polling places without notice to confuse the voters  

D   Removing voters from the list or transferring voters to another list  

What you can do:

F            To prevent disenfranchisement, visit the office of your local election officer starting February 13, 2001 – the date when the certified list of voters and precinct maps will be posted so that you can check whether your name is included in the CVL.  Encourage other voters to do so.

D   By marking the ballots so that it will be considered spoiled ballots  

D   Disrupting means of transportation to the polling places  

D   Spreading false reports about the withdrawal or disqualification of a candidate to discourage voters to vote for certain candidates    

Fraud during voting

D   Assuming the identity of another voter and voting in his or her name

What you can do:

F            When you are a pollwatcher or when you happen to be voting and you know that a voter who is not from your precinct is trying to vote, challenge him or her.  Do so in a manner that is not offensive and ask the board of inspectors to administer procedure on a challenged person.  The main purpose of challenging is to PREVENT FLYING VOTERS FROM VOTING AND DISCOURAGE OTHERS FROM DOING THE SAME.

F            You may request the BEI Chairman to require the challenged voter to present his/her ID or request the chairman to verify the voter’s signature through the records.  Make sure that the challenge is recorded regardless of what happens to the challenge.  Get a certificate of challenge from the poll clerk.

D   Accompanying a voter to the voting booth to influence a voter in casting his vote for a particular candidate.

F            Only disabled voters are allowed to be assisted when voting.  

D   By accompanying illiterate or disabled voters and voting for them irrespective of their choice  

D   Lanzadera – this is done by a voter by securing first a blank ballot from another precinct or a fake ballot then getting his assigned ballot.  The voter then puts in the ballot box his fake or illegally procured ballot and then passes his genuine ballot to another captive voter who fills it up outside the polling booth with the names of the candidates of his choice.  The next voter gets into the polling place with the filled ballot and gets the ballot assigned to him but drops into the ballot box the ballot previously filled up.  He then passes to the next voter his won ballot

D   The use of carbon or paraffin or duplicating device to disclose the content of the ballot to the “buyer,” the “intimidator” or the “leader”

  D   The improper or non-use of indelible ink – some BEIs fail to properly apply the indelible ink on the voter’s finger possibly allowing voters to vote elsewhere  

What you can do:  

   F       Bring to the attention of the BEI when a person whose finger is already stained with indelible ink is allowed to vote or when a voter is allowed to leave the polling place without his finger being stained with indelible ink  

D   By delaying delivery of the official ballots and other election paraphernalia to discourage voters

  D   Disrupting the means of transportation of voters on election day to discourage voters from voting

D   By forcibly taking or snatching the ballot boxes in polling places identified as a bailiwick of a political party  

D   By stealthily or covertly substituting the ballots with fake or previously prepared ballots during recess or brownouts or during a simulated disorder designed to create confusion in the polling place 

D   Theft or destruction of ballots, election returns and other vital election paraphernalia

D   Bribery or intimidation of the members of the board of election inspectors to influence their decision on challenges and protests made during the voting  

D   Stealing, tearing, smudging or defacing the list of voters posted outside the polling place to discourage voters to vote  

D   Delivery of official ballots in excess of authorized quantities to facilitate manufacturing of votes

Fraud during counting

Under the Omnibus Election Code, the counting of votes shall be made public and shall continue without interruption.  Voters and watchers alike may witness the proceedings during the counting.  

D   Misreading the contents of the ballots  

What you can do:

F            Make sure that the BEI Chairman must position himself/herself in such a way that all watchers are able to read the names on the ballot.

F            Call the attention of the BEI when a vote written on the ballot is not read or when a vote other than what is written is read  

D   Deliberate mis-recording in the tally sheet as the votes are read  

D   Substitution of ballots filled for counting  

What you can do:

F            Make sure that only the ballots in the COMPARTMENT FOR VALID BALLOTS shall be read  

D   Miscopying of the votes reflected in the tally sheet to the election returns  

What you can do:

F            Make sure that the BEI position himself/herself in such a way that all watchers are able to see the tallying of votes in the election return

F            Call the attention of the BEI when omissions, substitutions and additions in the recording of votes on the tally board and the election returns occur

F            When all the votes are counted, check the addition of votes.  In the election return, the grand totals for each candidate must be written in figures, which must match each other

F            Make sure that the information in the election returns are correct  

D   Substitution of votes credited to a candidate in the election returns are substituted with the votes of another candidate  

D   Deliberate distortion of the entries in the election returns by creating a variance in the words and figures entered thereat  

 D   Deliberate attempt to make the entries in the election return illegible  

What you can do:

  F    Make sure that the BEI write legibly and with enough force so that the votes can be recorded up to the 7^th copy of the election return  

F            Call the attention of the BEI when there is an insertion in any of the election returns a blank sheet of paper.  This is done so that one or some of the election returns will be left blank or inaccurately reflected in the tally.  Inconsistent tallies confuse the totals and the blanks can be improperly filled in later  

D   Destruction, theft or substitution of election returns after the counting

  What you can do:

F            DO NOT LEAVE the premises immediately after the counting  

F            Make sure that no alterations are made on the election returns after the results are proclaimed.  Corrections or alterations made before the proclamations should be initialed by all the members of the BEI

F            Make sure that after the election returns are signed and thumb marked in full view of the public by the members of the Board all of the copies are sealed in your presence, placed in separate envelopes which are again sealed  

Fraud during transit from polling place to election registrar 

D   Theft or destruction of election returns during transit from polling place to the office of election registrar in places where a candidate lost  

D   Substitution of election returns thru coercion or bribery  

Fraud during the canvassing

D   Substitution of the election returns copy for the provincial or city board of canvassers  

D   Misreading the contents of the election return  

What you can do:

F            Make sure that the BOC Chairman must position himself/herself in such a way that all watchers are able to read the votes on the election return.

F            Call the attention of the BOC when the votes written on the election return are not read or when votes other than what is written are read  

D   Deliberate mis-recording in the tally sheet as the returns are read  

D   Miscopying the votes reflected in the tally sheet to the Certificate of Canvass  

What you can do:

F            Make sure that the BOC position himself/herself in such a way that all watchers are able to see the tallying of votes in the statement of votes

F            Call the attention of the BOC when omissions, substitutions and additions in the recording of votes on the tally board and the statement of votes occur

F            When all the votes are counted, check the addition of votes.  In the certificate of canvass, the grand totals for each candidate must be written in figures, which must match each other

F            Make sure that the information in the certificate of canvass are correct

        D   Substitution of the votes credited to a candidate in the certificate of canvass with the votes of another candidate

       D   Deliberate distortion of entries in the certificate of canvass by creating a variance on the words and figures entered thereat  

 D   Deliberate attempt to make the entries in the certificate of canvass illegible

What you can do:

F            Make sure that the BEI write legibly and with enough force so that the votes can be recorded in the 4^th copy of the certificate of canvass  

D   Distorting the collation and addition of votes obtained thereby increasing or decreasing the total votes obtained by a candidate  

D   In the communication to be furnished the commission, during the adjournments of the board of canvassers, deliberate transposition, omissions or additions in the reflected total votes cast for each candidate may be committed by the person responsible for such transmittal or the same may be tampered with the connivance of the employees of the medium used in the course of such transmittal or providing the media with such false or misleading totals during such adjournments

The mid-term elections this coming May 14, the 12^th national electoral exercise since the first EDSA revolution in 1986, is very crucial.  The polls that will take place is set in a milieu of a recovering national leadership amid a promise of a stabilized political condition after the election.  The promise extends to a better economy after the polls.  All these promises, however, hinge on the conduct of credible elections.

Positions and Candidates

·        in 1998, voters considered 250 candidates who vied for the 32 positions

Voters and Administrators

Key players in the election

·        Organized Citizenry – Namfrel and their supporting and partner organizations, C-Cimpel (Cebu), Kasama (Cotabato City), Mahal (Nueva Ecija), PEAZE (Zamboanga city), Votecare and PPCRV

For any inquiries or comment, you may contact the WEBMASTER
Last Updated: Monday, April 02, 2001 01:52:45 AM