Commission on Elections. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Would it be better for Filipinos to cast their votes in malls? The Commission on Elections (Comelec) seems to think so.
In a registration program held at the University of Santo Tomas on Thursday, Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia mentioned that the commission is considering establishing voting precincts at malls nationwide for the upcoming 2025 national and local elections.
READ: Comelec on TOR ‘tailor-fitting’ to lessor: ‘We revised TOR 11 times’
The idea is to offer convenience to voters as they often endure long queues on Election Day.
Traditionally, registered voters cast their ballots at precincts in public elementary schools.
“There are other public places within a barangay [ …] why don’t we use those public places in a barangay instead of crowding in elementary schools?” Garcia asked.
He explained, however, that the poll body is still in the process of ironing out the details on the proposed mall voting for 2025’s polls and the proposal would still have to undergo a consultation process among registered voters.
“There are really some who really don’t want to be transferred to the mall [when voting]. But it is for their convenience,” he said.
“During elections, the lines are always long, with people in wheelchairs and walking sticks. It’s pitiful, so I hope they agree to have our voting done in malls,” the Comelec Chair continued.
He also emphasized that the commission will not automatically designate malls as voting venues. They will still take into account the preferences of residents in barangays regarding where they would like to cast their votes.
“We will not force them to vote in a different venue,” the Comelec official stressed.
If implemented, Garcia said it would only be available in barangays with malls and voters in remote areas would not be asked travel to urbanized areas to cast their votes.
READ: Comelec: New voters breach 1 million mark
“We will bring the casting of votes to where their barangays are,” he noted.
The consultation on mall voting will start at the end of the voters’ registration on September 30.
On Wednesday, Garcia said that so far, the Comelec has logged 1.3 million newly registered voters across the country.