The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is going to great lengths to ensure that all registered voters in the Philippines are equipped with knowledge on how to properly cast their votes in the May 9 national and local elections.
As part of its voter education efforts, the Comelec recently launched www.Pili-Pinas2016.com. The site, which is envisioned to be an online portal to all matters relevant to voter education, features step-by-step tutorials on the proper use of the Vote Counting Machine (VCM), the latest election news, blogposts from Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, online application for media accreditation and VCM demo requests, social media feeds, and a host of other important information.
The Comelec is also set to go on a nationwide roadshow to conduct demonstrations of the machines before live audiences. To extend the reach of the campaign, the Commission is also producing TV and radio commercials for nationwide airing in the coming weeks.
The approval rating of the poll body has been on an upswing since 2010 when it rolled out the country’s first general automated elections which had dramatically improved the speed, accuracy, and credibility of the electoral exercise.
Apart from voter education, the Commission has also been stepping up its efforts in making elections more inclusive and accessible, an effort that was recognized by the UK-based International Centre for Parliamentary Studies (ICPS) when it gave the poll body the Accessibility Award in 2013.
Image courtesy of Comelec.
