Comelec OKs absentee voting for mediamen, teachers, police, soldiers, poll workers

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued a resolution Thursday allowing members of media to participate in absentee voting in the May 2013 midterm elections.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. told reporters that the resolution will include media practitioners in local absentee voting, along with policemen, soldiers, teachers and Comelec employees that will be held on April 28, 29, and 30.

“We just filed the resolution on local absentee voting including the members of the press,” Brillantes said.

“The feature that is special [is that] we are now going to allow the press to vote in offices of the Comelec … where they are assigned,” he said.

Media organizations will be requested to submit for accreditation a list of their personnel who will be covering in areas outside of where they are registered on Election Day, Brillantes said.

Comelec would then check the names to determine who the registered voters are, he said.

Local absentee voters would only be allowed to vote for senatorial candidates and partylist groups, he said.

If some members were unable to vote during local absentee, they may still vote on Election Day in their precinct for all positions, Brillantes said.