Okay, so let's say that you're a first-time voter in the Philippines. You've already registered at the Comelec, and you've managed to keep your police clearance clean by not strangling the ineffective secretary and the corrupt whochamacallits. Despite the disappointments, you've decided not to boycott the 2nd Monday of May.
What do you do now?
1. Wait for your voter's ID to be delivered to your house. You should receive it within a matter of months. If you're lucky, you get it before the election day. My father got his within a few weeks, the magic of having a politically-familiar middle name. However, since that name was not passed down to my brother and me, some smartarse thought it was a good idea to just use my money on other ventures. (Talk about a two-year grudge... and, yes, I'm still mad about it.)
Tip: Thinking of givin' some bribes to get everything done quickly? Well, that's all up to you. If you ask me, don't do it. It's not worth it. You defeat the purpose of "clean & fair elections" if you have to bribe along the way of getting the right to vote. And, regardless, you're still going to get to vote... so why bother spending extra??
Plus, if a rare honest employee catches you trying to bribe him or her, you might find yourself in prison -- and unable to vote.
2. While you're waiting for that expensive piece of paper, you will have to think about who to vote for. Now, I'm not going to influence you on that, 'coz our preferences on candidates naturally differ. If you wanna vote for someone famous,whose face you always see on TV, fine. If you wanna vote for someone on the basis of their good looks, or manner of speaking, or the smell of their perfume, then that's your business.
What matters is:
Nobody forces you to vote for who you vote for.
Think democracy, always.
3. Didn't get your voter's ID? Don't worry. You will still get to vote. But don't be too happy about it 'coz that's not a good sign. If anyone, whether he has a voter's ID or not, can just come up and claim an identity and say he has registered at the Comelec, then he can vote over and over again, right?
Anyway, you can't worry about that now. Bring a pen, a valid ID, the receipt for your voter's ID, and your list of favorite candidates, then head for the precinct. Look for your name on the voter's list, then head for the table where you can get your ballot sheet.
4. When I last voted, I couldn't find my name on the voter's list. But did that stop me from voting? Hell, no! If you can't find your name on the voter's list, head for the helpdesk, show your receipt and your valid ID, and get your ballot sheet. Find an empty desk where you can fill in your ballot in peace.
5. Unfortunately for you, you can't find an empty desk. People are filling in their ballots next to each other, where they can literally read off four ballots away from them. Come on, you can't expect that the orderly setup shown on TV is what they actually have, can you??
(I dunno about other areas, but this is what I encountered in Parañaque. Talk about first-time trauma!!!)
Everywhere in the room, grimy little children totter around, distributing "sample" ballots for undecided fools. Yep, they too can read what you have written, and they know if you "need" to be convinced to vote for someone else. Creepy.
Just huddle to one corner of the room and fill your ballot furtively.
Tip: Don't leave a single blank on your ballot empty!! Someone could fill it in with the name of an undesirable candidate! Write ABSTAIN if you can't decide on anyone for that position.
6. Now time to drop your ballots into the metal boxes (they don't look anything like the lovely box I have in the picture -- not that our old boxes aren't good enough). Go to the helpdesk. Have them stain your finger with indelible ink. This is supposed to prevent you from voting again.
Unfortunately, the "indelible" ink can be easily removed with a nail file, alcohol and acetone.
Head home, grab a drink, watch out for the election results, and decide if you still wanna vote the next time.
Stay cool. You need it.
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