The House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the bill allowing qualified senior citizens and persons with disability the opportunity to vote before election day.
House Bill 5661 titled, “An Act Providing for Early Voting for Qualified Senior Citizens and Persons with Disabilities in National and Local Elections,” was passed at the Lower House by a 220 vote last May 29.
Cibac Party-List Rep. Sherwin Tugna, House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms' chairperson and main sponsor of the bill, said the measure will 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 hassle-free voting experience for our elders and persons with disability. Through HB 5661, we hope that we can make elections more inclusive and more representative by increasing the voter turnout from vulnerable sectors of our society,” Tugna said.
Commission on Elections data show a total of 323,210 PWDs and 7,369,735 senior citizens are registered voters as of August 2016.
Under the proposed early voting bill, a nationwide registration shall be carried out for seniors and PWDs who may wish to avail of their early voting privileges to qualify them for early voting.
The bill provides that those who choose not to register shall vote on the designated election day.
“We recognize and laud the efforts of the Commission on Elections to make the May 2016 elections more accessible. However, during the public hearings of the House committee on suffrage, it was mentioned that despite the existence of RA No. 10366 or the ‘Accessible Polling Places Act,’ PWDs and senior citizens still had a hard time voting during the last elections,” Tugna said. “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 added.
The bill also seeks to ensure the full implementation of the Accessible Polling Places. It guarantees that polling places are safe, highly accessible, and fitted with the necessary communication, visual, and physical aids for PWDs.
“The right to suffrage is an essential right in keeping democracy vibrant. No sector should be discouraged to exercise the right to vote. We hope that this bill is a step forward towards promoting greater involvement of the citizens in the electoral process and making elections in our country more disabled-inclusive,” Tugna said.