EDITORIAL - Pursue the complaints

In the automated election system, people are focused on getting the official results ASAP. As people wait for the proclamation of winners, it’s easy to ignore complaints of irregularities on election day. These include reports of blatant vote-buying, harassment, ballot switching and disenfranchisement.

The failure of some people to vote may be due to human error or negligence and not sabotage, but the Commission on Elections will have to do more to update and purge voters’ lists. In the case of vote-buying, intimidation and other offenses, however, the Comelec and concerned agencies must investigate the complaints and see to it that perpetrators are caught are punished. There is a law against electoral sabotage, which is supposed to prevent the various underhanded acts that have marred all elections in this country. The law must be strictly applied.

Investigators can’t do it alone; complainants must provide evidence that will stand in court if they want justice. Witnesses’ stories can be bolstered by pieces of evidence including photographs, video footage and text messages. The technology is widely available for pinning down those who undermine free elections. Citizens must do their part in ensuring that elections are credible and peaceful.

Because of limited resources, authorities can focus only on the major complaints, where efficient prosecution and punishment will send a strong message that tolerance for such abuses will be considerably less in the general elections in 2016. As in extrajudicial killings and other crimes, the best way to ensure that election offenses will be repeated is to let the perpetrators go unpunished. Election laws are violated because the perpetrators believe they can get away with it.