Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 27) — Longer voting hours or even an additional day for casting ballots in May 2022 should COVID-19 infections remain elevated may take place, a Commission on Elections official said on Friday.
Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, who heads all preparations for the elections, said the baseline plan is to open poll precincts early and close them later so people can still vote despite physical distancing protocols.
In 2019, voting hours were set from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“Our risk management team is also looking into that whether to have it [voting period] extended for another day. That will be part of our recommendations in the event that during elections day, the pandemic is worsened,” Casquejo told members of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms on Friday.
“However, postponement of the elections by reason of that is not one of the options,” he added.
The commission said it is still completing its time and motion study before making a decision.
Rather than hold a two-day election, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice suggested that the poll body should just add more precincts to cater to more voters. For Comelec, this would entail additional costs for hiring additional election supervisors and more vote counting machines (VCMs).
Casquejo explained that the poll body already had to rent an additional 10,000 VCMs on top of the 97,345 it owns as it reduced the average number of voters per precinct to 800 from the previous 1,000 threshold to comply with health protocols.
“If we double the number of the machines, the price of the machine costs us ₱100,000+ each. But if we add additional day, we will just pay our teachers additional honorarium for ₱6,000-₱7,000,” the Comelec official said.
Erice added that political parties and candidates would have to spend more for their staff who will serve as poll watchers if the voting period is extended for another day. He also said it could affect the security and credibility of the elections. However, Casquejo said they are not factoring in the expenses incurred by political parties in making this decision.
Meanwhile, Comelec pleaded with lawmakers to restore a ₱14 billion fund in their 2022 budget meant for honorarium, hazard pay, and other benefits of teachers who will serve as election supervisors. The Budget department slashed the amount to just ₱7.3 billion under the national expenditure plan submitted to Congress.
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