CEBU CITY, Philippines – For the first time in recent history, Cebu will witness voters casting their ballots inside malls.
For the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), selected precincts in Consolacion and Cebu City will troop to malls, instead of public schools, to vote.
At least five precincts from Brgy. Pitogo, Consolacion will have its voting center in SM Consolacion.
Another five precincts from Brgy. Pari-an, Cebu City will also cast their votes in a mall – in Robinsons Galleria in North Reclamation Area (NRA).
In Robinsons Galleria, 2,232 voters from the five chosen precincts in Barangay Pari-an are expected to cast their ballots there. In SM Consolacion, there will 2,424 voters selected to be part of pilot testing for mall voting.
Cebu has been selected as one of the areas for Comelec’s pilot testing for mall voting, which is part of the agency’s mission to enhance voting experience, said lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, director of Comelec-7.
Advantages
Aside from improving the voting experience, here are some advantages officials of Comelec-7 and Comelec-Cebu province cited when doing mall voting.
No cost to the government
The government did not spend any single centavo in putting up voting precincts in malls, Castillano said.
Higher turn out
With high turnout observed in voter registration booths located in malls, election officials hoped that having voting centers in malls themselves would also translate to higher voter turnout.
‘More chill’
With air-conditioning systems in place, Comelec officials said voters doing mall voting will no longer have to endure a hot and humid environment.
Decongest schools
According to Omar Sharif Dilangalen Mamalinta, spokesperson of Comelec-Cebu province, another reason why their office wanted to put up voting centers in malls is to decongest schools.
Convenience & Accessibility
Speaking before reporters during the OpenLine Forum on October 24, Mamalinta also said mall voting could also provide more convenience and accessibility to voters in need of assistance like seniors, persons with disabilities (PWD), and pregnant women.
Disadvantages
But like all new concepts, mall voting also has its share of disadvantages.
Limited space
One of them is limited space since malls can only provide a specific area in their establishment to accommodate the actual voting.
This is the reason why, for their pilot testing, Comelec-7 officials selected up to five precincts only from barangays with smaller populations such as Pitogo and Pari-an.
Need navigation
Since this will be the first time for mall voting, locating the precincts themselves inside malls may pose a challenge. In turn, Comelec-7 officials decided to put up navigational guides.
On the other hand, the electoral body hoped the pilot testing of mall voting would be successful so that more establishments could join.
“Definitely, the benefits outweigh the disadvantages,” said Mamalintal.
/bmjo
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