Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 30) – Polling places inside COVID-19 wards as well as a system to allow voting for those under home quarantine may help raise voter turnout for the 2022 general election, an Israeli disaster management official said on Thursday.
In a media briefing, Magen David Adom disaster response coordinator Chalm Rafalowski said these are some interventions that allowed Israelis to participate in a democratic process while in a pandemic.
Magen David Adom is the Israeli counterpart of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. Israel had two elections since the pandemic: one in March 2020 and another in March 2021.
“I’m very proud to say that we did not see any increase in any new cases due to the election day,” Rafalowski said. However, he did not provide data, specific information or procedures, as well as statistics regarding this claim and how the elections were conducted. He added a system may be suggested to the Philippines on how to conduct political rallies while keeping coronavirus-related restrictions in place.
“Israel, of course through the embassy in Manila, would be more than happy to share our experiences and the tools that we used,” Rafalowski added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said his agency will meet with the Commission on Elections to come up with health and safety protocols during the campaign.
“We are readying with the experts on how best we can continue to conduct the campaign activities, the electoral processes – but (we will also be) making sure that there will be compliance to the usual minimum public health standards and more interventions (that are) preventive in nature,” Duque said during the same briefing.
COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez said the poll body is considering all suggestions in the conduct of the country’s next presidential election. While saying that “nothing is off the table”, Jimenez noted “legal impediments” to holding elections away from designated voting centers.
Jimenez earlier said in a statement that the COMELEC remains confident that it will have a “sizable” voter turnout despite COVID-19 fears, and despite the results of a Pulse Asia poll commissioned by Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri that found out 46% of respondents won’t vote if COVID-19 cases are high in their area.
The elections are set for May 9, 2022. Filipinos will choose the next president, vice president, 12 senators, representatives and thousands of other local officials.
