Voter complains of disenfranchisement

By Tara Yap
AS the country wrapped up the synchronized barangay and SK elections yesterday, there were complaints of voters’ disenfranchisement.

Nineteen-year-old Jarren Berol of Brgy. San Roque in Jaro district complained that she was initially denied the right to vote as someone else had already voted on her behalf.

Berol disclosed to The Daily Guardian that when she arrived at the Jaro I Elementary School to cast her vote around 9am, she was told by election inspector Hariet Alvarado that she couldn’t vote.

“Pa-ano nga naka boto na ako kay bag-o lang ako nag-abot (How could I vote when I have just arrived),” Berol protested.

Berol was further told to wait until Alvarado could get instructions from the Comelec.

By 2:50pm, Berol was called back in to the precinct and was instructed to cast her vote.

“When they called me, they told that the vote of the previous voter who used my name will be disregarded,” Berol said.

However, Berol’s father Warren raised skepticism on the validity of his daughter’s vote.

“Te, pa-ano na? Ging pa boto nila tuod bata ko pero may isa man ka botante nga nag usar sang ngalan sang bata ko, (What happens now? My daughter was allowed to vote but the impostor who used my daughter’s name had aready cast a vote),” the elder Berol pointed out.

The father is wondering because the vote of the previous person was already inside the ballot box.

On her part, Alvarado blamed the Comelec for not providing the book of voters in the precinct, which had the pictures of legitimate voters.

“There was no way for me to verify the real identify of the voter because I don’t have the book of voters with me,” Alvarado explained.

“I only take their word as who they claim they are,” Alvarado said.

“Besides, there are too many voters and I can’t even remember each of their faces,” Alvarado added.

Aside from Berol, there were a few other people who also complained that someone else voted under their names earlier than when they arrived.

However, by the time voting precincts closed, they were allowed to vote.