(PNA file photo)
MANILA – Citing poor attendance in previous elections because of inconveniences, a senator has proposed amendments to the law that prescribes polling precincts for the exclusive use of senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Data showed elderly voters continue to be disenfranchised as only three percent or 200,000 of eight million registered senior citizens were able to cast their ballots in the 2019 midterm polls.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada said there is a need for "clearer language" in Republic Act 10366, or An Act Authorizing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to Establish Precincts Assigned to Accessible Polling Places Exclusively for PWDs and Senior Citizens.
Under Estrada’s Senate Bill No. 1642, special polling places should be readily accessible to public transportation, free of any physical barriers and provided with necessary infrastructure and services such as ramps, railings, sidewalks, adequate lighting, ventilation and other features for PWDs and senior citizens.
The proposal includes special polling precincts in public schools, town halls or plazas, civic centers, community centers, or other similarly designated special venues or areas, preferably with special features to ensure safety and comfort.
"The unfortunate low turnout for the sectors underscores the importance and the urgency to strengthen the law, ensuring accessibility of our polling places. Ultimately, this legislation aims to protect every voter's constitutional right to suffrage and to promote a more inclusive participation in the important democratic exercise," read the bill’s explanatory note.
In the May 2022 elections, Comelec established Emergency Accessible Polling Places (EAPPs) for PWD and the elderly.
An EAPP may be a classroom or a temporary polling place found on the first floor or ground floor near the voting center.
The Comelec said satellite EAPPs were also established in buildings used as homes or residences of PWDs and/or senior citizens, like rehabilitation centers and sheltered workshops that are in close proximity to voting centers. (Leonel Abasola/PNA)
