Comelec frets over OAVs’ selfies with ballots

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is more concerned with overseas absentee voters (OAV) taking selfies with their ballots than reports of discrepancies in actual votes and voting receipts.

Comelec Commissioner Arthur Lim disclosed yesterday that they have received numerous reports of voters taking selfies holding their ballots from the board of election inspectors (BEIs).

He said a majority of the incidents reported by the BEIs in Dubai, Hong Kong, Vientiane in Laos, Madrid in Spain and Singapore involved voters taking selfies, which is strictly prohibited.

“We will have it investigated by our law department to determine whether there is probable cause, and to determine whether we have jurisdiction over it,” said Lim.

Contrary to reports in social media, there were only two and not many incidents of alleged discrepancies in the voting receipts.

“There were only two incidents of the voter receipts not reflecting the votes out of the 191,427 ballots cast in Seoul and Dubai,” Lim noted.

Numerous reports on voting receipts not reflecting the actual vote of overseas absentee voters have been circulating in social media.

The Comelec had asked those making claims of discrepancies to substantiate their claims by filing formal petitions.

For overseas voters who are yet to vote, Lim reminded them to take the election seriously and follow the existing rules and regulations in voting centers abroad.

“It is important for everyone to take seriously our election and don’t toy around with it. Taking pictures of your vote is strictly prohibited,” he said.

He also urged those who have experienced discrepancies in their votes to report them to the BEIs.

“We would like to encourage Filipinos to report to us here at Comelec and I can assure you that we will act on it,” Lim said.

So far, Lim said, there are 191,427 votes cast in the ongoing OAV. The figure represents a 13.91 percent voter turnout from the 1,376,067 total number of registered OAV voters.

Lim said they expect the number to double and reach about 400,000 by the end of the month-long voting period on May 9.