BACOLOD CITY ? The commission on Elections in Negros Occidental has deleted at least 255,000 names from a list of voters in the province for two reasons ? failure to vote in two successive elections and death.

Jessie Suarez, Negros Occidental provincial elections supervisor, said the Comelec provincial office started purging the voters list from December 2008 to March 2009.

Suarez said the Comelec has deactivated 246,754 voters who did not vote in two successive elections and removed from the list 8,903 voters who were already dead.

However, Suarez said he expected more names to be removed from the list by the time the registration of voters would end on October 31. It started December 2 last year.

Numbers

At least 53,013 voters were deactivated in Bacolod City; 19,243 in Kabankalan; 16,532 in Bago; 12,303 in Sagay; 12,096 in Talisay; 11,343 in Silay; 9,295 in Himamaylan; 9,039 in Victorias; 8,738 in San Carlos; 7,251 in Cadiz; 6,143 in Escalante; 6,070 in La Carlota; and 2,994 in Sipalay.

At least 6,195 voters were deactivated in Binalbagan; 5,546 in Calatrava; 1,894 in Candoni; 8,544 in Cauayan; 2,018 in Don Salvador Benedicto; 3,855 in EB Magalona; 2,281 in Hinigaran; 2,030 in Hinobaan; 4,874 in Ilog; 4,558 in Isabela; 6,687 in La Castellana; 3,644 in Manapla; 1,075 in Moises Padilla; 4,660 in Murcia; 4,774 in Pontevedra; 2,197 in Pulupandan; 2,481 in San Enrique; 2,357 in Toboso; and 3,121 in Valladolid.

The number of new voters that registered reached 26,073, bringing Negros Occidental?s voting population to 1,348,105.

But as the Comelec was kept busy purging the list of voters, some election officials were fighting over transfer of positions.

Office politics

Some Comelec officials in Western Visayas said they would seek the relief of Dennis Ausan, Comelec regional director, over alleged lapses in the transfer of Suarez, Negros Occidental provincial election supervisor.

Suarez said he and some provincial election officers in the region were studying moves to oust Ausan because many Comelec employees were demoralized by the sudden transfer of Mavil Majarucon, former Bacolod City Comelec head, to Bago City.

Suarez said majority of election officers were behind Majarucon.

Suarez said the election officers felt demoralized because what happened to Majarucon could happen to them.

Rumors

Suarez said Ausan did not discuss with him and Majarucon the charges of partisanship against Majarucon before recommending Marajucon?s transfer.

Ausan said the Comelec en banc had asked him if there were rumors of partisanship against Majarucon.