Sen. Sonny Angara is pushing for early voting schedule of 2022 national elections for about 10 million senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) to encourage a higher voter turnout amid concerns that the COVID-19 pandemic would be present until then.
Angara is planning to file a bill for early voting in 2022, noting the constant challenges faced by the elderly and PWDs every elections because of accessibility issues in voting precincts.
He is also proposing extending voting hours for the general public on election day to encourage more to participate in this democratic exercise of their rights.
“Mas makakabuti para sa ating mga seniors at PWDs na may hiwalay na araw ng pag boto para sa kanila. Napakahirap para sa kanila na pumila pa habang mainit at makipagsiksikan sa mga tao lalo na at may pandemiya pa.”
“Alam naman natin kung gaano kadelikado para sa mga may edad na ang COVID-19 na hanggang ngayon ay wala pang bakuna,” Angara, a COVID-19 survivor himself, said in a statement over the weekend.
[It would be better to have separate voting days for our seniors and PWDs. It’s very hard for them to line up along with the others while we have a pandemic. We all know how dangerous COVID-19 is for the elderly and until now we have no vaccine.]
Earlier voting days for the two sectors would also result in less crowding and lines at precincts on election day for the general public.
Longer voting hours, Angara said, is an adjustment needed to support the physical distancing protocol that would limit the number of voters entering precincts at a given time.
