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Philippines for God

VoxPopuli-VoxDei — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 01:26:15 CDT

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WANTED: Pollwatch volunteer

kgargar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:08:14 CDT

This year's national elections is a test to the electoral process which was tainted especially during the 2004 national elections. Hello Garci?

To help monitor and minimize if not prevent election fraud, be a pollwatch volunteer. The PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) needs more volunteers for this task. To join, just visit and inquire at your nearest catholic church. Even non-voters are welcome.

Makialam. Makisangkot.

Mock Senatorial Elections in HK, Taiwan, Australia, Canada, Netherlands, Korea, Japan, QC, DFA,Tondo

kgargar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:00:37 CDT

Top 12: senatorial candidates in mock senatorial elections conducted by
Migrante International with 2,145 votes cast in HK, Taiwan, Australia,
Canada, Netherlands, Korea, Japan, QC, DFA and Tondo:
1. Loren Legarda - 83%
2. Manuel Villar - 65%
3. Alan Peter Cayetano - 60%
4. Francis Escudero - 58%
5. Francisco Pangilinan - 55%
6. Koko Pimentel - 52%
7. Panfilo Lacson - 52%
8. Benigno Aquino, Jr. - 46%
9. Ralph Recto - 45%
10. Sonia Roco - 42%
11. Gregorio Honasa - 36%
12. Nikki Coseteng - 35%

For details go to:

http://www.arkibongbayan.org/2007-04April17-MockElectionsKoreaCanada/koreacanada.htm

The Truth about Homosexuality

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 03:20:14 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

FAQs

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 04:35:27 CST

To whom i complain about the wrong doings of a certain COMELEC Officer from our Municipality?

under construction ...

::::::::::::::::

Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

Philippines

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:45:20 CST

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Gift of God - Freedom to choose...

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 14:51:46 CST

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CALENDAR OF ACTIVITIES - ELEKSYON 2007

dc_cinco — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 03:26:32 CST

DATE December 31, 2006 (SUN)	ACTIVITES Last day to file application for registration, transfer of registration records, etc. (Local registry)	PROHIBITED ACTS
January 12, 2007 (FRI)	Last day to hear applications for registration, transfer of registration records, etc. (Local registry)
Not later than January 14, 2007 (SUN)	Last day to prepare the Certified List of Overseas Absentee Voters (CLOAV) (Sec. 21, Comelec Resolution No. 7447 dated 18 March 2005)
January 14, 2007 (SUN) to June 13, 2007 (WED)	ELECTION PERIOD	Alteration of territory of a precinct or establishment of a new precinct (Sec. 5, RA 8189); Bearing, carrying or transporting firearms or other deadly weapons in public places, including any building, street, park, private vehicle or public conveyance, even if licensed to possess or carry the same, unless authorized in writing by the Commission (Sec. 261 (p) (q) (s), OEC as amended by Sec. 32, RA 7166). Suspension of elective local officials (Sec. 261 (x), OEC) Transfer of officers and employees in the civil service (Sec. 261 (h), OEC) Organization or maintenance of reaction forces, strike forces or other similar forces (sec. 261 (u), OEC). Use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates, whether or not such bodyguards are regular members of the AFP or PNP or other law enforcement agency (Sec. 261 (t), OEC, as amended by Sec. 33, RA 7166).
January 15, 2007 (MON) to February 12, 2007 (MON)	Period to file certificate of candidacy for Senators Period to file manifestation of intent to participate in the party-list system of representation.
January 15, 2007 (MON) to March 29, 2007 (THU)	Period to file certificate of candidacy for local elective positions
January 28, 2007 (SUN)	Last day to file petition for inclusion of qualified voters in the local registry.
February 02, 2007 (SUN)	Last day to file petition for exclusion of qualified voters in the local registry.
February 13, 2007 (TUE)	Posting of the certified list of voters (Local)
February 13, 2007 (TUE) to May 12, 2007 (SAT)	Campaign period for Senators and political parties, organizations or coalitions participating under the party-list system of election (Sec. 5, RA 7166; Sec. 4, RA 7941)
February 13, 2007 (TUE) to May 14, 2007 (MON)		Giving of donations or gift in cash or in kind, etc. (Sec. 104, OEC) Use of armored land, water or aircraft (Sec. 261 (r), OEC) Appointment or use of special policemen, special/confidential agents or the like (Sec. 261 (m), OEC)
February 28, 2007 (WED)	Last day to appoint members of the Boards of Election Inspectors, subject to changes on account of lack of public school teachers and disqualifications due to relationships to candidates (Sec. 164, OEC in relation to Sec. 31, RA 8189)
March 15, 2007 (THU) to March 29, 2007 (THU)	Issuance and sending of notices of inspection and verification of completeness of VRRs for each precinct book of voters (Sec. 31, RA 8189)
March 15, 2007 (THU) to June 13, 2007 (WED)		Illegal release of prisoners (Sec. 261 (n), OEC)
March 30, 2007 (FRI)	Last day for party-list participants to submit names of nominees
March 30, 2007 (FRI) to April 14, 2007 (SAT)	Inspection, verification and sealing of precinct book of voters. (Sec. 31, RA 8189)
March 30, 2007 (FRI) to May 12, 2007 (SAT)	Campaign period for candidates for Member, House of Representatives, and elective provincial, city and municipal offices (Sec 5, RA 7166)
March 30, 2007 (FRI) to May 14, 2007 (MON)		Appointment or hiring of new employees; creation or filling up of new positions; promotion or giving of salary increases, remuneration or privilege (Sec. 261 (g), OEC). Construction of public works, delivery of materials for public works and issuance of treasury warrants or similar devices for a future undertaking chargeable against public funds (Sec. 261 (w), OEC). Releases, disbursements or expenditures of public funds public works, social services and development (Sec. 261 (v), OEC)
Not later than February 15, 2007 (THU)	Constitution of the members of SBRCGs, SBEIs, and SBOCs.
April 05, 2007 (THU) and April 06, 2007 (FRI)		Campaigning
April 09, 2007 (MON)	Constitution of Municipal / City/District/Provincial Boards of Canvassers
April 14, 2007 (SAT)	Last day to furnish every registered voter with a Voter’s Information Sheet which contains the voter’s name, address, precinct, place where he is registered and simplified instructions as to casting of votes, an official sample ballot and a list of all registered national, provincial and city candidates to be voted for in the election (Sec. 1, RA 7904).
April 14, 2007 (SAT) (Host country time) to May 14, 2007 (MON) (Philippine time)	Casting of votes for overseas absentee voters (On any day starting on April 14, 2007 to 3:00 p.m. of May 14, 2007 (Philippine time)
May 13, 2007 (SUN) (EVE OF ELECTION DAY)		Campaigning (Sec. 3, OEC ) Selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving or taking intoxicating liquor (Sec. 261 (dd) (1), OEC) Giving, accepting free transportation, food, drinks and things of value (Sec. 89, OEC)
May 14, 2007 (MON) (ELECTION DAY)	Casting of Votes (Local) (7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)	Campaigning (Sec. 3, OEC) Selling, furnishing, offering, buying, serving or taking intoxicating liquor (Sec. 261 (dd) (1), OEC) Giving, accepting free transportation, food, drinks and things of value (Sec. 89, OEC) Soliciting votes or undertaking any propaganda for or against any candidate or any political party within the polling place or within thirty (30) meters thereof (Sec. 261 (cc), OEC) Voting more than once or in substitution of another (Sec. 261 (z) (2) and (3), OEC) Holding of fairs, cockfights, boxing, horse races or similar sports (Sec 261 (dd), OEC) Opening of booths or stalls for the sale, etc., of merchandise or refreshments within a radius of thirty meters from the polling place (Sec. 261 (dd), OEC)
	Convening of the Municipal / City / Provincial and District Boards of Canvassers and Special Boards of Canvassers (SBOCs) (6:00 p.m. Philippine time).
May 15, 2007 (TUE) to June 13, 2007 (WED)	Filing of Sworn Statement of Election Contributions and Expenditures (Sec. 14, RA 7166)

source:http://www.comelec.gov.ph

Vic's Elections Canada notes page

Anonymous — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 01:58:51 CDT

On the Voters' Lists

Originally posted as a comment on comelecAKO

On the Voters’ List: I still remember the old days that every election, provincial and federal, Election canvassers will go house to house, village to village to canvass, register and confirm voters list. Nowadays only new voters need register. After that, voters’ list is updated and upgraded all automatically as the voter moves, from residence to residence, from province to province and also taken off the list if deceased.

How’s this possible? With cooperation from all agencies such as Minister of Transport, Canada Post, Revenue Ministries and all pertinent agencies including the Coroners to report the deceased.

Since the Right to Vote is a constitutional right, no one is deprived of the right even if she or he is not in the list come election day. With proper Ids, any citizen of voting age who has registered before, but was inadvertently omitted in the list can just go to the nearest precinct within the riding or district and be allowed to register and vote at Election Day. And under the Right to Equality provision of the charter of Rights, everyone is entitled to vote, including the physically and mentally handicapped and convicted felon with less than two years sentence. And also the same right to run for public office without the minimum qualification. In the end it is up to the voters who they want to vote as their representative to the House.

Update: 073006

(Originally posted as a comment on comelecAKO)

Election Canada maintains a preliminary voters' list and upgraded continuously. The final list is prepared 3 days after the writ of election is handed down and completed 6 days before election day. The process is very simple indeed. Election Canada will start sending mail to all voters on the list with complete instruction, including the location of polling place, how to vote in advance polls, and for those away or out of the country, how to do it on-line or by mail. Also instructions for those that did not receive their registration notice to contact their Returning Officer to add their names. Registration process are also simplified for new citizens, it's included in the form and all you have to do is check the proper boxes. Also registration can be done by filling the form in the Income Tax Return. And all the updating is done automatically thereafter.

On Political Financing

Originally posted by Vic

Political Financing -- Posted Aug 6, 2006 Perhaps one of the most important issue that involve the Electoral Process is the "Financing" of Election; from the nomination of Candidates to the campaign during the "period" and also to electing Leadership of the Political Party. And here should the Law pertaining to contributions, process of recording of contributions and donation to Candidates, political party and to political association should be clearly defined and enforcement should also be emphasized.

For Canada at Present Electoral Financing Comes from Three sources: (I will note as I go along the part that is in the plan to be scrapped or reformed).

1.Individual Citizen-Every citizen is encourage to contribute and participate in the process. Contribution for individual as of present is limited to $5400 for a registered party, candidate or association. As an incentive to encourage contributions by individuals, a 75 percent tax credit, for donation of $400 and a maximum of $650 Tax Credit for $1250 or more. Although most party member or individual may contribute less, the maximum limit will assure the voting public that no individual no matter how rich he or she maybe can influence the outcome of the election by unlimited contributions. Any fraud involves in this matter is under the Criminal code and will be enforced by the police upon the advice of Election Canada..

2.Corporation and Labour Union-Maximum contributions allowed of $1000. This one is subject to debate at the moment and some quarters wanted it scrapped altogether. Since to my understanding, there is still no limit to how many candidates and parties and political association both the corporation and the union can contribute. And the biggest loophole so far and it is being addressed at the moment is the Officers and Families of two entities can avoid the limitation by going the route of Individual Donation. This come to light at present as the Liberal Party is now in the process of electing its Leader. One of the leadership candidate was exposed to have received donation from the whole family members of Corporate "biggie" to the individual Maximum and was forced to return the money. Corporation can also go around this, by using their employees to contribute to the favoured party at the company’s cost.
This is one reason why our Chief Electoral Officer wanted a detailed list of all contributors and the amount contributed and the records should be kept for at least two years and subject to audit by Election Canada and Revenue Canada.

3.Government..The Government will pay $l.75 (dollar seventy five cents) per vote received by the party in the previous general election, provided the party has received in the last election either the 2% of the valid votes nationally or 5 % of the votes in the ridings where the party ran a candidate.

Also the Government will reimburse 50% of the Registered Parties Election expense as well as 50% of Individual candidate expense provided he or she received at least a 10% vote cast in the riding..

Caveat: For those who want to run for office, anyone over 18 is qualified, no minimum qualification required, but a deposit of some amount is also required and will be forfeited is such candidate can not get enough vote as per guideline for "nuisance candidates". This one is for people, who want their name in the ballot but won’t even go out and vote for themselves. You abuse the system, you pay in money or in time, have your choice.

The Limit: Election Expense Limit

Posted August 9, 2006: Now The Election Expenditures and the Limit.
In previous posting, I summarized the source of ‘election financing’, which a candidate, the registered party and association can raise for the purpose of political spending related to Election expenditures. For the purpose of this subject discussion, all contributions to and expenses of registered political parties and party associations are considered "political financing" by law, because the continuing entities are recognized to exist only for Political purpose. But individual candidate is not and is covered strictly by the guidelines which and which is not an election Expense.

For Individual Candidate :

Based on the number of voters to be published by the Chief Electoral Officer in the official Canada Gazette, the expense limit is based on riding to riding (district) case by the following formula. The preliminary list is published per riding not later than 31 days before the date of election and the revised not later than 7 days and the number that the expense limit will be based on the greater of the two figures. Below is the graduation of the limit:
$2.07 for each of the first 15,000 electors
$1.04 for each of the next 10,000 electors
$0.52 for each elector over 25,000
Depending on the area of the riding, the limit is adjusted to higher amount for large riding with less voter on a square miles basis.

For Registered parties:

The maximum amount that is allowed for the election expenses of a registered party for an election is calculated in two steps:

Step 1: Multiply $0.70 by the number of names on the preliminary lists of electors for electoral districts in which the registered party has endorsed a candidate or by the number of names on the revised lists of electors for those electoral districts, whichever is greater:

Step 2: Multiply the result of step 1 by the inflation adjustment factor that is in effect on the day of the issue of the writs for the election.

Other expense like volunteer labour is not counted and so is non-monetary contribution use for election purposes as long as the person contributing is not in the business of providing such property or services and the value is less than $200. Otherwise the value is the lowest at the time for the same property and services..

And for the kids:

Yes, Elections Canada offers two election simulation kits for schools. They provide a realistic experience of voting, based on actual federal election procedures.
The kit 'Canada at the polls' is intended for Grades 5 and up. 'Choosing your mascot' for younger children, kindergarten to Grade 4. Both are available by contacting Election Canada or going to its Web Site.
Elections Canada also offers an interactive CD-ROM, Exploring Canada's electoral system. It gives a virtual tour of the system and it features a game for one to three players.

The Earlier the Children learn their democratic rights and responsibilities, the brighter and stonger the future holds.

_______________________________

The Simplicity of it All - posted by vic aug. 20, 06

This time around, I would like to impart to you all, the simplicity of our voting process. As I have posted previous, we are a Parliamentary system of government, both in our Autonomous Provinces and Territories and Our Federal Government. For the sake of this discussion I will confine myself to our Federal Government, which in essence is about the same set up and functions as to its Provincial counterpart.

Canada is divided into 308 electoral Riding, (district, constituent) represented by one member each riding.
We are also a "Political Party" lead type of government, whose head of the Government is the Prime Minister, which is the leader of the Party who won the most number out of the 308 ridings.

Currently there are four major parties who represent the totality of the seats. They are as follows:

Conservative Party of Canada - currently in minority govt. (the most, but less than half + 1 of the 308 seats).

Liberal Party - The official loyal opposition ( second most seats).

New Democrats - Perpetually known as the third party. (fourth in number of seats represented).

Parti Québécois - Party arises from the Separatist movement in Quebec in the previous years to represent the interest of the Provincial counterpart and the party members and followers in the Province. (Seats represented from the ridings in Quebec only).

As I always emphasize in all my comments and postings, the Right to vote in an election, referendum, and all decision that requires voters input, is for Everyone, irregardless of Physical and mental disability, and to make this possible, a very simple and easy process has to be available to all.

1>Polling places should be accessible to all, and be wheelchair access equipped.

2>Transportation should be provided to all who wish to vote, but can’t make it on their own.

2-1 disabled voters can vote athome in a specially design tampered proof ballot with a witness and the presense of a returning officer (election official).

2-2 for visually impaired; a specially designed ballot (braille) is also provided whether at pre-polls or on election day.

3> Enough time should be required to all employers, be given to all employees for the purpose of casting their votes.

3-1 for those who may not be able to vote on election day may cast their votes on pre-polls dates or by specially designed mail-ballots or on-line.
.
4> And the actual voting itself should be as simple as it could get.

4-1 And here the pudding of it all... One X and you’re done.

4-2 No name writing (for those who may not be able to write)

4-3Only one name to be marked. (Any voter could visualize the name of his/her choice).

4-4 This all means a very easy counting of votes after.

4-5 In one hour or so after all the polls are closed (remember Canada has five different time zones with 5 hours difference from atlantic to pacific, and no reporting of results to other provinces where voting is still going on.), you can go to bed (if your candidate or party lose) or party all night (if you win or your party won) or better just go to sleep and go to work in the morning.

Simple yet so effective...

___________________________

Political Parties and How They Dominate the Canadian Political Landscape instead of Personalities.

In most other Democracies, a Leader can get elected to the Top Office on the strength of his/her personality or personal power instead of the Party ideologies, principles, programs and campaign promises. Not ever since the Election of Pierre Trudeau Liberal government had a personality propelled a person to the office of PM. That was an exemption for an exceptional man.

There are Numerous registered Political parties in Canada at present. From Communist Party, Green Party, and a few more fringe parties, but at the moment only four major parties are represented in the Federal Parliament. They are the Following:

Party in Government>> Conservative Party of Canada.
The party formerly known as Progressive Conservative was founded at the inception of Canada’s independence in 1867 and its leader Sir John A. Macdonald was the first PM and the party governed Canada for over 40 years of the first 70 years of its existence. Ideology is generally center-right and lately it is leaning more to the left. That’s more of the effect of the continuation of the more than a decade of Liberal government policy and programs and not the reflection of shift of ideologies.

The Official Loyal Opposition Party>>Liberal Party of Canada.

The Liberal party is one of the two original parties that started the Political party system of Canadian politics. Both the Liberal (Reformers) and the Conservatives were formed before the independence and the armed Rebellion against the British by the Reformers had caused the rulers to hasten granting Upper and Lower Canada its Independence. Between the two Parties, they governed Canada during its whole existence.

Liberal Party Ideology is Center-Left and the programs of governments are both the same as conservatives as they both deal with current issues. They both differ in dealing with foreign policy, which categorize the conservative as in line with U.S. Republican and the Liberal with U.S.Democrats.

Opposition Parties>>New Democrats and Bloc Québécois.
New Democrats is the third party known for its socialist Ideology. Provincially it is the Party of choice in the Provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba and once in Power in Ontario and few other Provinces. But Federally, it stays in the background with a steady hardcore supporters of more or less the same percentage of the population.

Bloc Québécois is the party that was born out of Quebec Province Secessionist ambition. It is the Federal counterpart of the Provincial Parti Québécois to promote Quebec interests and only the Province of Quebec. It was started in 1990 as a party by a informal coalition of members from Quebec and became an opposition when the Liberal came to power and the conservative itself split into fragments as Reform party of the "west"and what remained of the originals. Now the Conservatives are back together again and the Bloc Québécois is slowly melting.

The idea of my posting the overview of the Political Parties and their backgrounds is to emphasize the strength the Strong Party System of Governance that takes away the "cult" the culture that is inherent to personality driven one. But again in the end to each his own and the mechanism that may well-work in one’s setting may not work in others. I can only say that so far no system of Government nor Electoral is perfect or even close to it, unless the subjects strive to make it so.
Posted 26 Aug., 2006

The Local Government and Its Structure: by vic 30 Sep. 2006

Just like any structure of governments, we do have municipal and city governments and have some clearly defined powers including taxation and introduction of local laws and bylaw.
The power, limitations and terms of office are clearly defined in the Municipal Acts and are under the authority of the Provincial Governments and Territories and may get direct financial support from the Federal Government for some projects that are national interests in nature. Municipal governments are responsible for delivering basic services such as waste collection, road maintenance, water supplies, power supplies, fire and police protection, social services such as child care centers, hostels, and also managing social welfare housing and child protection agencies and mass transportation.

The Municipal Council - City and Municipal Governments are governed by municipal council, headed by the Mayor, Deputy Mayor (appointed by the mayor from among the elected councillors), and public servants.
Election Process - the council has the term of Three Years, without the term limits for politicians. The Mayor office is contested by Candidates as individual (party system is not allowed for municipal officials) and the Candidate who got the most votes (not majority) wins the Contest. The councillors are contested by candidates for every riding (district) and only one candidate represents each riding and the winner is also determined by the one with most votes (there is no run off). Voting is the same as with any election only this time we have to cast two choices. One for the Mayor and one for the councillor.

Taxation: Municipal and City government is not allowed to borrow money for expenditures. It will raise either taxes to cover expenditures or cut expenditures. The main sources of revenue are Property Taxes on real property like houses and lots, municipal licences, parking fines, by-law infraction fines and download from provinces and the federal government.
Police and Fire are the two most visible responsibilities of the municipal government and its largest takers of the overall budget. But it is also responsible for health care like making sure that Children are immunized, and it is directly responsible for social housing and maintenance of public schools. Together with provincial government and the Federal government it compliments each other in completing the coverage of governance that make sure that one aspect that may not be covered by one layer of government is covered by the other . . .

Like in my previous postings regarding the source of Election financing and limits to both contributions and spending, the same is true to municipal elections.

Vic's

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 15:00:15 CDT

There is no abstract available for this page revision.

Voter Education

VoxPopuli-VoxDei — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:12:25 CDT

This page will be dedicated to voter education concerns. Here, we can talk about basic information related to the various stages of the electoral process - from registration to canvassing. You can also post requests for voter education seminars here - like if you're a member of an organization and you want to hold a voter education seminar, you can post that here and I will arrange COMELEC resource persons for your seminar!

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

Home

comelecAKO — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 05:49:21 CDT

Welcome!

botanteKAMI is dedicated to the idea that

ELECTIONS BELONG TO THE PEOPLE.

Here, we can share information about how to take back control of elections by increasing the pro-activity of our participation in elections, improving voter vigilance, and increasing the accountability of election administrators.

On this site, you can:

Learn, comment, and contribute knowledge about COMELEC services;
Learn, comment, and contribute knowledge about the various stages of the electoral process;
Ventilate your concerns as a voter;
Share your ideas about voter education;
Share your election pictures;
Suggest how to make things better; and
Create your own or expand the Frequently Asked Questions list

Here's how it works!

And don't forget, you can always create your own pages!

I hope you enjoy your stay!

Postigo

(comelecAKO)

UPDATES

08.07.06

... The Government will pay $l.75 (dollar seventy five cents) per vote received by the party in the previous general election, provided the party has received in the last election either the 2% of the valid votes nationally or 5 % of the votes in the ridings where the party ran a candidate ...

Read the whole article

Suggestion Box

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:24:04 CDT

Is there anything about the election system you want to change? Do you have any ideas how to improve the system? Tell us here!

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Ex-Coms

(07.28.06)

Over at comelecAKO, I posted something about how ex-COMELEC employees can be one of the more serious vulnerabilities of the Philippine election system. I suggested some possible solutions that I want to share here too:

Idea #1: What if the COMELEC were to publish a list of officials who have recently exited from the Commission and made this list available to all advocacy groups. These groups could then use this list as a means of putting the spotlight on ex-coms who show up in the employ of politicians. When an ex-com does pop up as a consultant of a politician, wouldn't these adovcacy groups then know which pols to watch more closely? The theory being close public scrutiny will be a deterrent to monkey-biz.

Idea #2: What if the COMELEC were to impose an adminsitrative rule preventing retirement or separation from the service within 6 months from an electoral exercise? The idea is that people who retire before the 6-month ban comes into effect will not be privy to the security measures that will be put in place for the coming electoral exercise. It is more difficult to corrupt a system that you are not familiar with. A natural limitation of this theory is that ex-coms invariably have a network of friends within the COMELEC who will know what the security measures are, so this idea may not be too workable. But it's an idea and it deserves its 15-seconds of prominence.

Idea #3: What if, instead of making the code of conduct voluntary, the COMELEC makes it a requirement for employment? That would make the code of conduct a contract that - if written correctly - may be enforceable against the ex-com even after he leaves the service. This may not prevent an ex-com from crossing over to the Dark Side, but it will give the COMELEC a means of making him pay for it.

Idea #4: To neutralize the ex-com's network of field officials, what if the COMELEC uses community volunteers for poll clerking duties? This way, the ex-com loses a major part of his operational structure. At the very least, he won't know who the 'bendable' ones are without exposing himself as a corrupter. This coupled with a public listing of all poll-clerk volunteers might generate a significant chilling effect on attempts to defraud elections.

Idea #5: What if the COMELEC were to drastically overhaul the election system administratively? This can probably be done by simplifying counting and canvassing procedures (naturally with notice to all stakeholders) to remove unnecessary discretionary authority from front line election administrators. Corruption thrives best in systems where there are a lot of levels at which discretionary authority can be exercised. Remove excess levels and you lessen the system's vulnerability to corruption.

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

Voter Concerns

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:04:29 CDT

This is the best place to vent your concerns as a voter. Like the tags say, you can talk about disenfranchisement, the transfer of registration records, registration, biometrics, voting practices ... anything, in fact, that impacts on your exercise of your right to vote. You can even add tags!

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

The Electoral Process

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 11:00:38 CDT

under construction ...

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

Election Pictures

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:54:36 CDT

under construction ...

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

COMELEC Services

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:51:37 CDT

under construction...

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

Elections Around the World

comelecAKO — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 10:46:06 CDT

Please feel free to use this page to post information about election systems from other places all over the world. We can learn a lot from other democracies, and we can start here!

[You can either add your information here, using the EasyEdit button, or you can add a sub-page from the navigation box. I suggest naming the sub-page after the country whose election system you'll be discussing. For instance, vic (wink wink) would name his sub-page Canada since he will be writing about the tres formidable JP Kingsley and Elections Canada.]

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Two ridiculously easy ways to contribute:

1. Click EasyEdit at add your own information to this page
2. Click add a sub-page (in the navigation box, top left of the page) to, well, add
a sub-page.

See also:

How it works

comelecAKO — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 11:14:34 CDT

Elections belong to the voters.

At botanteKAMI we try to give life to this belief by urging everyone to contribute their ideas, experiences, and insights to this repository of shared wisdom, with the goal of helping to improve the electoral system through the sharing of vital information to the entire community of voters.

Information that will:

enhance the quality of voter participation in elections

promote voter vigilance

and

increase the accountability of election administrators.

As a contributor, you can improve botanteKAMI by adding to and editing existing content. Each contribution enhances the value of this site and strengthens the community of voters. There are only two rules: respect others, and respect intellectual property.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

	Contribute your own unique knowledge, experience, or insight by clicking on the *Add a New Page* button

	Keep existing information fresh, relevant, and accurate by simply clicking on the *EasyEdit* button

	Interact directly with other members of the botanteKAMI community using the *Comments* tab

Everything else is just a matter of following very simple instructions!

Registration

comelecAKO — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 09:35:46 CDT

I get a lot of queries about how our registration system works. It's not perfect, but I offer this brief (yes, believe it or not, brief na ito!) rundown. I grabbed it from comelecAKO and tweaked it a little to fit this site.

We use the continuing system of registration. This means that our election register (or the list of voters) is maintained and continually updated by the election management body - the COMELEC. The list can be maintained locally - the way they do it in the UK, I think; or nationally - as in Australia and, last I heard, Canada.

The short version ... this is how we do it:

When a qualified citizen applies for registration, his application is filed before the Election Officer of the city or municipality where the citizen resides. This application is then brought before the Election Registration Board - the ERB. The ERB then receives objections to the application at a duly publicized hearing. When I say duly publicized, I mean that notices of the hearing are furnished the applicant himself, the heads or representatives of political parties, and other accredited groups which actively participate in the electoral process.

Well, at least in theory.

In practice, there are so many political parties that not all are given notice; those that are given notices typically ignore them; and most "accredited groups " are usually moribund when there are no elections. As a result, most ERB notices languish unnoticed (get it? notices, unnoticed?) and ERB hearings are not quite as dynamic as they were designed to be.

In any case, at an ERB hearing, evidence for or against the applicant is received and ruled upon. In those cases where an objection is raised, the applicant is required to appear before the ERB and present his evidence in support of his application. These objections typically challenge the applicant's right to be a voter (i.e., the applicant is alleged to be underage, or not a citizen, or is somehow disqualified); or his right to vote where he is proposing to vote (i.e., the applicant is alleged not to be residing where he says he is, or that he lacks the residency requirement).

Anyone can challenge another person's right to vote, but the challenge must be in writing and under oath. This challenge right is actually a very powerful tool for keeping the list clean. But it hasn't received a lot of attention lately. Personally, I think people would just rather not get involved.

Once the ERB comes out with its ruling, the registration process is complete.

Well, almost.

One last remedy remains: Exclusion and Inclusion. This is where people who have been shut out of the list of voters by the ERB can ask the Metropolitan Trial Courts to include them anyway (inclusion), and where people can ask the MTC to remove certain names from the list (exclusion). This process is not time-bound, i.e., the law prescribes no proper time for filing it, except to say that all petitions for inclusion or exclusion must be resolved within 10 days from filing. What this means is that petitions for inclusion or exclusion can be filed as late as the day before elections and that even on election day itself, the courts can still order the inclusion of voters in the lists.

So where does modernization come into the picture?

The thing with the continuing list system is that it is very difficult to keep clean. Keeping the list clean means periodically updating it by removing the names of those who have died or who have otherwise lost their right to vote (i.e., convicted felons, and including people who have lost their right to vote in a particular place because they changed residences or have moved away permanently), and by including the names of people who have newly registered or have otherwise newly reacquired their right to vote (i.e., pardonees). The primary updating modality is still coordination with related agencies such as the civil registry (for deaths), and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (for convicts, and pardonees).

Then, of course, we have multiple registrants.

Multiple registrants are those who - whether innocently or maliciously - have entered the registration system more than once. Innocent multiple registrants are usually those who have transferred residences and registered in the city or municipality they transferred to without telling the election officer that they used to be registered elsewhere. In the past, this error was pretty easy to let slip because communication between election officers was pretty imperfect.

Today, we provide election officers with an updated national list of voters. This helps them determine whether a person applying for registration is already registered elsewhere. Hopefully this will effectively cut down on innocent multiple registrants.

Malicious multiple registrants are another species of animal entirely. These people change their names, their appearances, their birthdates - essentially making up whole new identities - just to be able to register more than once. The reason, naturally, is that multiple registrations will allow them to vote more than once - a type of retail fraud we call 'flying voting.'

This is where we introduce biometric technology. Biometrics is the latest technology that allows us to identify people by means of their unique fingerprints, facial features, and signature. When you register, your biometrics will be recorded (we call it 'captured') by COMELEC technicians. Your fingerprints will be taken by a state-of-the-art fingerprint scanner, your picture will be taken by a digital camera and automatically stored on COMELEC computers, and your signature will be taken when you sign on a pressure sensitive signature pad. Once this process is completed, your name in the COMELEC computer database will have your picture, your signature, and your fingerprints. The next time someone uses your name to register, their fingerprints won't match yours and they won't be able to register! This will help protect your identity from identity-thieves and help the COMELEC keep the list of voters clean and accurate.

With the automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) - CSI fans hear this word often whenever the investigators need to find out whose fingerprint they have - that the COMELEC hopes to procure in the near future, we will be able to more effectively purge the list of multiple registrants.

Registration Anywhere

Registration anywhere is one of the things that make us drool whenever we visit foreign countries to learn about their election administration. In those countries, electors can register at hardware outlets (like ACE), convenience stores (like 7-11s), or at other government agencies.

This is possible because the registration system in those countries is keyed in to fully functional e-government infrastructure and either a strong census backbone; a strong residence tracking system; or a national ID system. People who register at these remote locations (remote as in not directly with the election management body) enter their personal information into the system and the system pretty much takes care of verifying their identities based on any number of relevant databases. As you can probably imagine, these identification and identity-verification operations happen very quickly, making it possible for people to register on election day itself.

Unless we have this strong infrastructure in place, I think we have very little hope of achieving the 'register-anywhere' paradigm. Heck, I even heard that a good 85% or more of all internet connections in this country are dial-up, so its probably a stretch to even imagine that we are anywhere close. But it is a good idea, though. And a goal worth pursuing. It's just that, it'll require a whole lot of committment from a lot of other agencies, not just the COMELEC.

Census and the DILG should beef up their database and database updating procedures and grant access to the COMELEC; BJMP, the DOJ, and other law enforcement agencies should create and improve their databases and grant access to the COMELEC; Government agencies with front-line electronic interfaces (such as SSS and GSIS) should allow the inclusion of COMELEC specific fields in their interfaces; Other agencies that maintain databases should likewise include COMELEC specific fields in their application forms; and so on and so forth.