Survey: 48% of Filipinos expect May 9 polls to be clean, credible

"The May 2016 elections will be clean and the results credible for the citizenry because the counting of votes is automated," 48 percent of respondents agreed.

 

While some are optimistic about the upcoming elections, 15 percent of Filipinos still doubt that the polls will be clean as the result of the automation of vote-counting process. Thirty-six percent of the citizens, on the other hand, remain undecided regarding their views on the May 9 polls.

 

Pulse said those who agreed that the elections will be clean are mostly from Visayas  (56 percent) and Metro Manila (59 percent), and 51 percent from Class E. Forty-seven percent of Class D also agreed that there will be a clean poll, and a big percent of 41 from Mindanao also shared the same view.

 

It added that 45 percent of respondents from the rest of Luzon and 48 percent of Class ABC agree with the possibility of a dirt-free election.

 

The survey showed that the public opinion on the expectation of a clean election hardly changed between March 2013 and January 2016.

 

The respondents were also asked if they are agreeing with political dynasties and if they willing to vote for children, spouses, siblings or parents who are currently or formerly elected government officials which resulted to 34 percent of Filipinos responding that they see nothing wrong with electing bets who belong to a political dynasty.  Thirty-two percent oppose the re-election of relatives and kin of candidates while 34 percent expressed indecision regarding the matter.

 

Meanwhile those who disagree with the clean May 9 polls attributed their disagreement to the possible cheating that may take place in the election proper. Nearly four of 10 Filipinos expect cheating to happen.

 

The 65 percent of respondents named vote-buying as the cheating that is most likely to happen. Other forms of cheating mentioned were tampering of precinct count optical scan (PCOS ) machines, presence of flying voters, changing of the actual vote count, replacement of ballots inserted in PCOS machines, stolen PCOS machines, threatening of voters and election officers, and electricity interruption, among others.

 

Pulse conducted the survey among registered voters from various areas in the country from January 24 to 28.