An election victory, once stolen, is almost always irretrievable. The cheater occupies the contested position and often finishes the term, stealing the vote and undermining the will of the electorate. Victims of poll fraud can get justice only if those who perpetrated the cheating and benefited from it are punished. But how many poll cheats have ended up behind bars?
Recently several individuals have surfaced to talk about vote rigging in 2004 and 2007. It could take years to establish the truth and resolve the controversies with finality. But the latest developments should spur electoral reforms in the near future. Alongside continuing efforts to uncover the truth about past elections, the nation should lay down the groundwork for better enforcement of laws against poll fraud.
Election laws have been amended to include a crime called electoral sabotage, with life imprisonment as the stiffest penalty. As defined under Republic Act 9369, which was enacted in January 2007 to pave the way for full poll automation, electoral sabotage includes cheating operations such as dagdag-bawas or vote shaving and padding. The amendments also increased penalties for involvement in other forms of vote rigging, particularly for Comelec employees and deputized poll watchers.
The new provisions cannot be applied to those accused of cheating in 2004 and 2007, but they can serve to discourage a repeat of past election scandals. With the midterm elections just two years away, the Comelec should prepare to fully enforce the provisions of RA 9369. Information should be disseminated and training conducted so people will know what to watch out for in stopping poll fraud. This should include Comelec personnel, public school teachers, barangay officials, the military and police, and citizen poll watchdogs, several of which are already well organized.
There is a legal framework to prevent a repeat of vote rigging. The law is tough enough to make politicians and their supporters think twice about stealing the vote. All that the law needs is proper enforcement.