Voting by mail is the easiest system to cheat, says Sotto

MANILA – Senate President Vicente Sotto III rejected Monday’s proposals that would allow some voters to cast their votes by mail during the 2022 presidential elections, saying the scheme is prone to cheating.

The president of the Senate Electoral Reform Committee, Imee Marcos, previously introduced a bill that seeks to allow elderly, pregnant, disabled and indigenous Filipinos to vote by mail.

“I am not in favor. It is the easiest voting system to cheat,” Sotto told reporters in a text message.

“Who will receive? Nationwide? Where to send, Post Office? When to count? Who to count? What if someone leaks results, whether they are true or false? Any of those procedures can be fooled!” he said.

(Who will receive it? Will it be nationwide? Where will they send it, to the post office? When will they count it? Who will count it? What if someone leaks the results, whether they are true or false? Either those procedures can be fooled!)

According to Senate Bill No. 1870 of Marcos or the Voting by Mail Act, Filipino elderly, pregnant, disabled and indigenous voters can cast their vote by sending “packages containing official paraphernalia and other electoral items” to the Elections Commission.

“The procedure for voting by mail must take all measures to avoid vote manipulation and ensure that ballots are tracked through mechanisms such as, but not limited to, serial numbered stubs during delivery to the voter, receipt, storage and the scrutiny to guarantee the integrity and sanctity of the ballots, “said the bill.

Marcos said the new system must be in place so that “the most vulnerable sectors of our society are protected from COVID-19 while ensuring that their right to vote is not hampered by current circumstances.”

While the proposed vote-by-mail scheme is similar to that in the United States, Sotto’s concerns stem from frequent allegations of voter fraud in the Philippines.

Marcos’s brother, former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., continues to question his loss to Vice President Leni Robredo in the 2016 elections, more than 4 years after the former Naga representative defeated him.