The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) on Saturday, 06 February, showed voters of District 03, Quezon City what Election Day will look like come May 2016.
Poll Chief Andres Bautista joined Election Officer (EO) Enrique Santos and his team walk voters and the media through the whole voting process. A notable improvement in the mock set-up of the Voting Center in Pura V. Kalaw Elementary School in P. Tuazon, Cubao was the voting process and voter guide signages.
“We want voters to experience firsthand what to expect on 09 May 2016. We are doing our best to improve the voting experience in public schools where the larger public will be trooping to vote, while we also continue to iron details of mall voting,” shared Chairman Bautista.
The Election Day signage includes posters that illustrate steps in and general reminders regarding voting and the accessibility features of the Voting Center. There are also directional labels to indicate important locations such as the Voter and Legal Helpdesks and where people should go before and after voting.
“Natutuwa kami at sa distrito namin ginawa itong mock set-up dahil nabigyan ang mga botante rito ng pagkakataong makita ang improvements sa ating Voting Centers sa darating na halalan. Mahalaga na may live simulation ng Election Day para makita namin kung ano pa ang maaring ayusin sa ating signages,” stated EO Santos.
The COMELEC adopted internationally accepted best practices and standards in coming up with the signages like using inverted colors to help voters read the materials more easily and writing in simple, succinct, and positive language so the general public, specifically those with learning difficulties, could immediately grasp messages. Appropriate material sizes and types where also utilized to ensure that the voters would not have a hard time looking at them even from a distance.
“We believe that the voter’s trust in our democracy is hinged on the transparency and credibility of our elections and that the Voting Center is the primary arena for change. We want to have better organized polling places so we can minimize confusion and long queues. If people know what to expect on Election Day, it’s easy for them to spot irregularities, if any, and report the same to us immediately via our hotline and/or helpdesks,” Bautista said.
The Commission is considering replicating the activity in other parts of the country in the next few weeks. After which, formal instruction will be donwloaded to all field personnel to adopt the said signages in time for 09 May 2016. (COMELEC)
