Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 2) — A proposal to allow mail-in voting for senior citizens in the 2022 national elections has been filed in the House of Representatives.
Marikina 2nd District Representative Stella Quimbo filed House Bill 7572 which allows seniors to vote by mail “if the poll body deems it necessary.”
Quimbo said the move aims to protect senior citizens from the coronavirus.
“Masisiguro po ng postal voting para sa mga may edad ang pagtataguyod sa kanilang karapatang bumoto samantalang naaalagaan ang kanilang sarili. Rights like suffrage are inherent in a democratic country like ours,” Quimbo says.
[Translation: Postal voting for senior citizens will ensure their right to vote while protecting themselves.]
Quimbo said the U.S., the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Australia have mail-in voting as an option.
She said it would help senior citizens even after the pandemic, with long lines in polling centers which can lead to health concerns.
“We also do not have to re-invent the wheel. May sistema na ang Comelec para sa postal voting dahil ginagawa ito ng ating OFWs. Kailangan na lang ayusin ito at ibatay sa pangangailangan ng senior citizens,” Quimbo added.
[Translation: Comelec already has a system for postal voting which is done by OFWs. We only need to fix it according to the needs of senior citizens.]
She said poll data show over nine million registered voters or 15% of the total voting population in the 2019 midterm elections are senior citizens.
