House OKs early voting for seniors, PWDs

The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a bill that mandates advance voting for senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in national and local elections.

Rep. Sherwin Tugna of party-list group Citizens Battle Against Corruption, who chairs the committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said Bill 5661 would “make the entire voting process convenient by setting an earlier voting date and designating accessible polling places for senior citizens and PWDs.”

“We believe that the government should ensure a hasslefree voting experience for our elders and persons with disability. Through the bill, we hope that we can make elections more inclusive and more representative by increasing voter turnout from vulnerable sectors of our society,” he said.

Citing data from the Commission on Elections, Tugna said there are a total of 7.4 million senior citizens and 323,210 PWDs who are registered voters as of August 2016.

Among the principal authors of Bill 5661 are Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, and Representatives Romero Quimbo of Marikina, Angelina Tan of Quezon, Estrellita Suansing of Nueva Ecija, and Maximo Rodriguez Jr. of Cagayan de Oro City.

Under the measure, there would be a nationwide registration for seniors and PWDs who may wish to qualify for early voting. Those who choose not to register would vote on the designated day of election.

Tugna said despite the law mandating the accessibility of polling places, senior citizens and PWDs still had a hard time voting in previous elections.

“In some areas, seniors had to wait in line for more than three hours under the intense heat of the sun just so they can cast their vote,” he said.

Under the present law, the early voting privilege is available to teachers, soldiers and policemen who are assigned in areas other than their place of registration as voters.