(Originally uploaded here.) This carton ballot box looks almost the same with those being used in the ongoing election in the UAE. Just take out the label and imagine sealer-tapes on each side of a more vulnerable box instead.
I casted my vote at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi two days ago. That was before 12:00 noon and there were only three voters then. I brought a solid list with me, so it did not take much time for me to finish. I briefly sorted the names of the candidates though and found myself humoured to know their full names, which I probably would not easily identify if not for their aliases and popular names. Also, only that moment I learned that Jay Sonza was running for vice-president and Imelda Papin for senator.
I stayed in the precinct a little longer just to feel the control environment which is contributory to the possible results of the election. It turned out that I had too many WHYs:
(1) The absentee voting began on 10th of April. The same carton ballot boxes will be used until 10th of May. Can we please have more durable ballot boxes? Please take note that there are also ballot boxes taken to and from the Labor Office (also in Abu Dhabi) because there is a number of Filipinos assigned to cast their votes from there. You probably can calculate how depreciated the boxes will be after a month or before the actual counting of votes begin.
(2) I registered in August of last year. We were advised that the voter’s ID will be available (at most) by April. Until the day I voted, I did not receive it. The same applies to the rest of the voters in the UAE. I have no idea if this singly happened here. Instead, we were asked to present the original passport or any locally issued identification.
(3) After presenting the acceptable ID, the name of the voter was checked from the masterlist/registration; and the voter was asked to sign there and signify a right thumb print. But why is the ink delible? One sneeze can erase it.
(4) A few who actually registered last year cannot find their names on the masterlist/registration.
(5) There was no secrecy booth. Voters were asked to cast their votes over a shared rectangular table. Yes, a folder was there with the name of the candidates in it. But the area and arrangement was so open that my neighbor-voter can actually cheat (i.e. copy my list). In a way, I would be happy if somebody indeed copied my list. Since I believe I made a right choice. (I have, however, this inkling that the election will never be 100% clean, no matter how much we pray about it. And that is beyond my control. But I am happy that in the aspect that is within my means, I did my best. Shall my candidate win or not, I would support whoever would be officially elected.)
(6) I was asked to thumb print again on the ballot before slipping it to the box (there goes my precious choices!). Yes, the ink was doubly verified as delible. It was gone in a few minutes without really trying to intentionally remove it.
(7) I have chatted with the person overseeing the voting that hour. I asked a number of questions like the safekeeping of ballot boxes, custodianship of keys, other preventive and detective controls, and a lot more. I got a feeling that she wanted to shoo me away as soon as possible. Sorry, if I made you uncomfortable. But I think I will always have the right to ask that.
(8) Well, there are just too many WHYs.
One hundred two diplomatic posts (embassies and consulates) will have postal voting and 70 posts will have personal voting (voter has to cast his ballot at the embassy or consulate), and the new automated voting system in Hong Kong and Singapore (THIS IS ANOTHER WHY; why not in the Middle East?).
Of the 8.1 million Filipinos (workers and residents combined) worldwide, only 589,830 overseas Filipinos registered* for the May 2010 national elections. Well, of course, not all those who registered are going to vote.
*215,546 voters in the Asia Pacific, 66,745 in the Americas, 61,294 in Europe, 225,148 in the Middle East and and Africa, and 21,097 seafarers.
Conversations