Cases of voters disenfranchisement noted in Davao del Sur

By Lawrence Abangan & Fiona Lorico

SANTA CRUZ, Philippines – Voter disenfranchisement, or voters not able to find their names in voters’ list or locate their precinct, were common complaints during Monday’s midterm elections.

In Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, a Samau-Bajau couple, Salima Tagay Muhammad and Junie Tagay Muhammad, were dismayed after failing to find their precinct numbers at Sta. Cruz Central Elementary School (SCCES) in Davao del Sur.

The couple said they have voted in the same school precinct in the past two elections, but this time they felt they wasted their effort to vote.

Several other voters in the school also complained of the same predicament, saying there were missing precinct numbers or unverified records.

Comelec Region 11 Election Officer Jonathan Casquejo explained that voters whose precinct numbers were missing or who can’t find their names in the voters list such as in SCCES may have been delisted due to failure to vote in previous elections.

Casquejo explained that Comelec does not erase names or precinct records unless a voter failed to vote in two consecutive elections, transferred residence to another area, or had duplicate records.

He said they base the voter status on the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL), and if a voter’s signature does not appear there for two consecutive elections—specifically in 2022 and 2023—then the name is automatically removed from the list.

“We don’t simply erase names not unless they failed to vote twice, transferred residence to another municipality or have duplicate records. That is why before February when (voter) registration was still open we advised people to check if their names are still on record, because once the election happens we can’t do anything with that record,” Casquejo said.

Voter disenfranchisement was the third most reported complaints by voters during the May 12 election, according to election watchdogs Kontra and Vote Report PH.

Their data showed they received 144 complaints of disenfranchisement. Davao Today’s coverage noted such incidents occurred in Bislig, Surigao del Sur and in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur.