WengOnline

Yesterday, Mom and I went to suffer for suffrage. It was a hot day, but since the our assigned pools were just around the corner, we managed to finish in less than 20 minutes. Amazingly this time, my inky finger has lasted for at least 24 hours. Try as I might, I’ve tried to buff out the ink, scrub it out with Scotch Brite, and short of going for a manicure, my finger still looks like I’ve just come from the polls. My uncle was also hired as vote watcher in his community. I was asking him how he became one and he mentioned that the local councilors had gone around and asked for watchers a few weeks before the elections—sounds legit enough. They even had an orientation or sorts, it was a short conversation so I didn’t get the details on what went on during the orientation.

Some of my relatives chose not to vote. This is what ticked me off. Based on a rough estimate of my family—first cousins included in the cut off—around 60% of us do not vote. Perhaps, it is a high statistic. The COMELEC expected an 83% voter turnout. My highschool classmate mentioned that she voted before lunch and few people in her precinct had voted even by that time. Another classmate of mine mentioned that perhaps it evens out in the provinces where most voters almost always vote. 

Perhaps the changing worker trends have affected this election. With proliferation of call call centers, more and more provincial graduates try their luck here in Metro Manila. Another friend, who will be working in the outskirts of the city, has not gone home to vote. It would take a plane ride to get home in time for the elections and she would have to come back right away as she will be reporting for work soon.