It is that time again that we need to select our Barangay and SK officials to lead us for several years. Hopefully, this will lead our respective barangays for the better.
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| "person-holding-a-vote-sign" by cottonbro studio is licensed under CC0 |
You might think that this topic is out of place for a website that is focused on personal finance advocacy. However, as much as we don't want to think about it, politics affect the economy.
Regardless of the scale of the election.
So let us point out some things that can help us be an informed voter.
You Are Allowed to Abstain
Unlike taking a test where you try to guess the answer in the hopes of getting it right, during elections, this is a challenging gamble.
There are times when we don't have enough information about the candidate. Or we don't like the candidate at all. So, instead of choosing the lesser evil, you can abstain from voting that particular position.
You can do this by just leaving the field blank.
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| COMELEC Tweet about vote abstaining 2018 |
For example, there are 7 barangay kagawad positions, but you feel of voting only three. You can fill up three of them and leave the rest blank.
Will It Not Invalidate Your Vote?
- Do not Overvote. Voting for more than the maximum number of candidates allowed would invalidate their vote.
- But you can Undervote. Voters can choose to undervote or abstain from choosing the maximum number of candidates per position.
- Keep it Clean. Voters should avoid making extra markings on the ballot.
As long as you follow the rules above, you are sure that your votes will be counted.
Finding Your Precinct Number
Just like your passwords, you must commit your precinct numbers in memory. But given that humans tend to forget significant events, there is a high chance that we can forget our voting precincts.
If that happens, this website from COMELEC can help.
How Many Missed Election before Disenfranchisement?
This is a tricky part because there are some voters who were long gone but are still active on their list.
If we recall COMELEC's voters' deactivation spree, their rule was "TWO" consecutive failure to vote during
regular elections.
Barangay Elections are "regular elections".
That's why voters who missed the 2018 and 2019 elections were deactivated and missed to vote during the 2022 election.
Closing Thoughts
You might think that it is useless to vote because it won't matter in the grand scheme of things.
This might be true given the country's political climate. However, this is also a chance to change all of that.
Go Out and Vote.
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