MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is open to the possibility of postal voting or mail-in voting for senior citizens and persons with disability (PWDs) during the 2022 national elections.
In a television interview on Monday, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said the system, if ever, is nothing new since mail-in voting is also being used for overseas voting.
“In fact, ang postal voting o mail-in voting ginagawa na natin ‘yan sa overseas voting. Ang gusto lang ng Comelec ay palawigin ito para ma-include ang domestic voting,” he told GMA 7’s Unang Balita.
“Mag-identify lang muna tayo siguro ng mga partikular na voters. Halimbawa, senior citizens or persons with disability na puwedeng gumamit ng mail-in voting,” Jimenez added.
Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo recently filed a measure before the House of Representatives authorizing Comelec to allow senior citizens to vote via mail from their own homes amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“‘Yung mga bills naman na ‘yan pending po ‘yan sa Kongreso ngayon, siyempre pinag-aaralan po ang mga detalye n’yan. As far as the Comelec is concerned, handang-handa tayo tumulong sa pagsasagawa ng mga detalye ng proposal,” Jimenez said.
Meanwhile, Malacañang said the proposed mail-in voting for the 2022 polls is worth considering, but will leave it up to Comelec to decide.
“Of course, the decision lies in Comelec, ‘di namin pangungunahan. Pero baka po for the first time, baka ma-consider iyan,” Roque said in a virtual press conference Monday./PN
