Comelec inks deal with Twitter to widen voters’ education

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has entered into a partnership with micro-blogging site Twitter to widen the access of voters to election matters.

Chairman Andres Bautista told reporters the Comelec will be working closely with Twitter.

“This will enable more Filipino voters live access to political information, to interact with top election candidates and to express their views about the election process via tweets, vines and periscopes,” he said.

Representing Twitter in the meeting yesterday was Rishi Jaitly, its Asia Pacific and Middle East vice president.

Twitter is delighted to have the Comelec as a partner and it is going to unlock the full potential of this platform in the context of the presidential elections, he said.

During the presidential debates that the Comelec will organize with media organizations, including The STAR, TV5 and BusinessWorld, Twitter will provide premium inside data and visuals to help represent the country’s pulse and those of viewers on what is on top of the minds of the audience, Jaitly said.

“The second element of the partnership will be during these debates, any citizen with a phone will have a chance to interact, ask questions,” Jaitly said.

“At its heart, Twitter is a mobile microphone for anybody. We are excited that during the debates, users will have a chance to interact live.” 

During the elections, Twitter users will have a chance to tweet any irregularities seen on the ground, Jaitly said.