Express lane set for voting inmates

MANILA, Philippines - To enable hassle-free voting for inmates in the May elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is setting up an express lane for detainee voters.

In a resolution, the Comelec directed all Board of Election Inspectors (BEI) to provide express lane to prioritize detainees in voting.

The poll body also ordered the creation of a committee on detainee voting as well as members of the special board of election inspectors (SBEIs) which shall administer the voting, counting and canvassing of votes for the detained voters.

However, the Comelec stressed only detainees with a court order allowing them to vote will be allowed to participate in the elections.

The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) was likewise mandated to undertake necessary measures to secure the “safety of detainee voters, prevent their escape and ensure public safety.”

Police escorts of detainees can bring their firearms inside the polling centers, but they shall immediately leave the polling place once the inmate finished voting.

Apart from the express lane in polling precincts, the en banc also ordered the establishment of the special polling places inside the jails with at least 100 voters registered.

The special polling places shall be able to accommodate more than 10 voters. A voters’ list will be provided in the special polling places to ensure that only detained registered voters would be able to vote.

Detainees released prior to the election are allowed to vote in the special polling place inside jails where they registered.

Under Comelec rules, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, or other extra-legal police agency and special forces are prohibited inside the special polling precincts for the detained voters.

Based on records, there are about 50,000 yet to be convicted detainees. Of the figure, almost half or 23,657 of them have registered for the 2010 polls.