Comelec to adopt stricter measures against flying voters

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) plans to adopt new election procedures to keep away flying voters in the May 14 elections.

James Jimenez, Comelec Education and Information Division director, said the commission is discussing new measures to ensure clean and honest elections.

"New measures are now under discussion by the poll body and one of them is the use of a more effective indelible ink to prevent any voter from voting more than once," he said.

Jimenez said the Comelec had to adopt stricter measures considering that the poll body’s voters’ list may still contain names of multiple registrants.

Jimenez said to purge the voters’ list of double registrants, the Comelec has summoned suspected double registrants for investigation.

"We are now double checking the voters’ list, but the most important thing now is to prevent any of those multiple registrants from voting more than once," he said.

About 100,000 double registrants have already been investigated and about 18,000 were charged in court, Jimenez said. The list of new registered voters is still under review.

Earlier, the Comelec admitted it cannot purge the voters’ list of about 100,000 flying voters because of the lack of matching machines that can detect those who registered more than once.

The poll body asked Congress to enact a law that would allow the use of electronic registration but no action has been taken on the proposal.

Meanwhile, Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos said the poll body is helpless against politicians who are resorting to premature campaigning.

"We cannot do anything about it," he said in a radio interview. "There is no law that allows us to reprimand or act against them (politicians) because they are not considered candidates until they file their certificates of candidacy."

However, Abalos said politicians who plaster their posters along the streets can be charged with vandalism and littering by local governments concerned. — Mayen Jaymalin