1. 2. I. Registration II. Opening/Introduction III. Voters Education IV. Mock Voting V.
Pollwatchers Guide (Legal Matters) VI. Open Forum VII. Administrative Matters VIII. Raffle 2. 3. (2010 NATIONAL ELECTIONS ) 3. 4. Under Sec. 15, Article II of COMELEC Resolution 8786 Promulgated on March 4, 2010, each candidate and registered political party or coalition of political parties duly registered with the Commission and fielding candidates in the election as well as duly accredited citizens arm may appoint two watchers to serve alternately. However, candidates for senator and sanggunian belonging to the same ticket or slate shall 4. 5. A. QUALIFICATION OF WATCHERS Is a registered voter of the city or municipality comprising the precinct where he is assigned; Is of good reputation; Has not been convicted by final judgement of any election offence or of any other crime; 5. 6. A. QUALIFICATION OF WATCHERS Knows how to read and write Filipino, English or of the prevailing local dialect; and Is not related within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity to the chairman or to any other member of the BEI in the polling place where 6. 7. B. GUIDES IN THE CHOICE OF WATCHERS While the law does not require a watcher to be a registered voter of the barangay where he/she may serve, it is crucial that he/she is assigned to a barangay where he/she is actually a resident for the following reasons: a) The watcher can efficiently review the Certified Voters List and identify discrepancies in it such as the retention of names of deceased persons, voters who have long transferred residence and have already registered in other precincts, and those suffering from certain disqualifications. 7. 8. B. GUIDES IN THE CHOICE OF WATCHERS b) The watcher’s familiarity with the residents of the barangay puts him or her in a better position to detect and challenge illegal voters who may offer to vote but are not registered there, are using the name of another person, or suffering from certain disqualifications. c) The watcher’s proximity to the polling place where he or she is assigned is important as he or she has to be at the polling place on election day before 8. 9. C. RIGHTS OF WATCHERS Upon entering the polling place, the watchers shall deliver to the Chairman their appointment as watchers and their names shall forthwith recorded in the minutes. The watcher shall have the right to: 1) Witness and inform themselves of the proceedings of BEI; 2) Take note of what they may see or hear; 3) Take Photographs of the proceedings and incidents, if any, during the voting, counting of votes, as well as of the generated election returns and of the ballot boxes; 9. 10. C. RIGHTS OF WATCHERS 4) File a protest against irregularity or violation of law which they believe may have been committed by the BEI or by any of its members or by any person; 5) Obtain from BEI a certificate as to the filing of such protest and the resolution thereof; and 6) Watchers shall not speak to any member of the BEI, or to any voter or among themselves in such a manner as would disturb the proceeding of the 10. 11. PREPARATION OF POLL WATCHERS KIT The pollwatching kit is an important weapon of the pollwatcher. The absence of a complete pollwatching kit can significantly diminish his or her efficiency. This is often referred to as the frontliner’s survival kit on the day of the elections. It contains the materials, forms, identification cards and papers and other documents that the pollwatcher would need in the performance of his or her tasks. 11. 12. POLL WATCHERS KIT 1. The pollwatcher’s written authorization or appointment as pollwatcher (two copies, i.e, one for the BEI and the other to be retained by the pollwatcher); 2. Authority to receive the Election Returns 3. The pollwatcher’s IDs (one issued by the party and the other issued by the Comelec); 12. 13. POLLWATCHERS KIT 4. Copy of Posted Computerized Voters List (PCVL) and Election day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL) List of Voters with voting records. 5. Inventory Sheet; 6. Certificate of Challenge or Protest and Decision of the BEI 7. Paper or Notebook; 13. 14. POLLWATCHERS KIT 8. Forms of the Certificate of Votes; 9. Pollwatchers Guide Handout 10. Election Report 11. Flashlight with batteries 12. Calculator, if available 13. Camera, if available 14. 15. INVENTORY SHEET The Inventory Sheet referred to in No. 5 is a form that will be filled up by the pollwatcher with the following information: Barangay Precinct number Names of the chairman and two members of the BEI; Number of the pads of ballots; Serial Numbers of the official ballot Number of registered voters in the precinct; Number of those who actually voted; 15. 16. E. PHASES OF POLL WATCHING The tasks and responsibilities of pollwatchers on the day of the elections may be divided into two phases, namely: a) before the voting starts; b) during the voting 16. 17. Pre-Testing and Sealing of the PCOS Machine 1. Know the schedule of the Comelec for the pre-testing and sealing of the PCOS Machine in their precinct. 2. Pollwatchers must be present during the pre-testing and sealing of the PCOS machine 17. 18. 3. Participate in the pre-test and make sure that: The PCOS machine is properly working The machine can read, scan, consolidate and transmit the results The electronic count result of the PCOS machine should match with the manual count results 18. 19. Should watch the PCOS machine until its opening on the election day The main memory card of the PCOS machine has a serial number and must make note of the serial number. If the main memory card has no serial number, must request that the main memory card must be labeled with the precinct #, poll center#, brgy, city, province 19. 20. Pre-Election Day Be duly accredited and designated as poll watcher of the party. Poll watchers accredited must meet the qualifications required by law. Have read and understood the pollwatchers guidelines and has attended the seminars for poll watchers. 20. 21. Pre-Election Day Have the contact numbers of the networks head in the area, the numbers of the lawyers and paralegals assigned in the area. Must know the assigned precinct. Must visit and inspect the precinct site for familiarity. 21. 22. Pre-Election Day Must know the composition of BEI and the background. Must attend the pre-testing and sealing of the PCOS machine in the assigned precinct/clustered precinct. Must know the other poll watchers and supporters assigned in the same precinct. 22. 23. Before Opening of the Precinct Be at the assigned precinct at least two hours from the opening of the precinct and inspect the surrounding of the precinct . Bring water and food and other necessities for the whole day. Bring notebook/paper and pen to make notes on what is going on within and outside the precinct and for making notes 23. 24. Before Opening of the Precinct Bring celfone or camera for communication and recording of incidents Must bring the pollwatcher’s kit Must wear green shirt and official watcher’s ID Assist in the bringing of “our” voters early in the morning 24. 25. Before Opening of the Precinct Must assist the voters in looking for their names and corresponding number in the PCVL list posted outside the precinct. Assist in giving sample ballots or some form of “kodigo” 25. 26. Upon Opening of the Precinct Must register with BEI before the start of the voting proper Must be familiar right away in the layout of the precinct Must be familiar with names and faces of the pollwatchers of the other parties assigned in the same precinct 26. 27. Upon Opening of the Precinct When the PCOS Machine is being unsealed, must make sure that the seal was not broken and resealed. The ballot box is empty The package of official ballot and book of voters are sealed 27. 28. Upon Opening of the Precinct When the BEI activates the PCOS Machine, the first print out report is the “zero report” which the pollwatcher must see that all candidates have “O” counts at the right side of their names and signs the zero report Must watch every step as the BEI activates the PCOS Machine. Only the BEI can activate the PCOS Machine. No one else. Not even the Smartmatic Technician. 28. 29. Voting Proper Rules to be observed during the voting Voters shall vote in the order of their arrival in the polling place; No watcher shall enter the place reserved for the voters and the BEI, nor mingle and talk with the voters; No person carrying any firearm or any other deadly weapon, except those expressly authorized by the Commission, shall enter the 29. 30. Voting Proper There shall be no crowding of voters and disorderly behaviour inside the polling place; and The ballot box shall remain locked during voting Report to the BEI any signs of delaying tactics of voters inside the precincts so as to prevent other voters outside to cast their votes during the voting time. Be alert in making protest to the BEI on the grounds of illegal composition of the BEI, or any signs of illegal proceedings, or any violations of 30. 31. WHAT TO PROTEST Illegal composition of the BEI or BOC Illegal proceedings 31. 32. ILLEGAL COMPOSITION OF THE BEI OR BOC : If- BEI Member is not qualified under Comelec Resolution 8739 Conflict of interest due to a candidate/spouse 32. 33. ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS: If- Voter not registered in the precinct is allowed to vote. Voter who voted already is allowed to vote again If the Smartmatic Technician-- Is not officially designated by the Commission Is not officially assigned to the particular precinct 33. 34. Is not summoned by the BEI Chairman to make any repair on the PCOS in the event that the machine does not work properly, yet the technician on his own touches or repairs the PCOS Machine Does not repair the PCOS Machine as instructed 34. 35. ILLEGAL PROCEEDINGS: If— Other grounds that might be irregular/unusual committed by the BEI or any person within the precinct Pollwatchers must consult anytime the lawyer assigned, or paralegals, or network heads Must secure a certificate from the BEI of the protest made/filed and give to the lawyer or network heads 35. 36. END OF THE VOTING PROPER Watch as the BEI initiates the closing function of the PCOS Machine Watch as the PCOS machine starts to count and consolidate the results Only during the transmission of the election results should the transmission cable be attached to the PCOS machine. During the printing of the election results, the transmission cable should not be attached to the PCOS machine The printing of the 8 copies of the election results 36. 37. Must secure a copy of the election results from the BEI and give it to the network head Make sure that the PCOS Machine is completely shut down by the BEI after printing (8and 22 copies) and the electronic transmission of the election results, then surrenders the PCOS Machine to the technician assigned to the precinct Must make sure that the ballot box is sealed and secure, and accompany its delivery to the city treasurer 37. 38. NOTE: At any point during the day, if the pollwatcher leaves his post, he must have a reliever. No pollwatcher post must be vacated or left without a pollwatcher 38. 39. c.) Manner of Voting Voting shall be conducted in the following manner: 1. The voter shall, using a ballot secrecy folder and the marking pen provided by the COMELEC, fill his ballot by fully shading the oval beside the names of the candidates and political party participating in the party list system of representation of his choice; 39. 40. c.) Manner of Voting 2. The voter shall then approach the PCOS, insert his ballot in the ballot entry slot and wait until message “CONGRATULATIONS. YOUR VOTE HAS BEEN REGISTERED.” APPEARS ON SCREEN. The BEI shall monitor the PCOS screen to make sure that the ballot was successfully accepted. Thereafter, the voter shall return the ballot secrecy folder and marking pen to the 40. 41. c.) Manner of Voting 3. The BEI shall apply indelible ink at the base and extending to the cuticle of the right forefinger nail of the voter, or any other nail if there be no forefinger nail; 4. The voter shall affix his thumbmark on the corresponding space in the EDCVL; and 41. 42. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure Ballots may be rejected by the PCOS during scanning. There will be three (3) different types of messages when the PCOS rejects a ballot. For each message, the BEI shall observe the following procedures; 1) “AMBIGUOUS MARK” Let the voter review his ballot and ensure that the ovals opposite the names of candidate/party voted for are fully shaded. 2) “MISREAD BALLOT” Let the voter re-feed the ballot in 4 different 42. 43. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure 3) “INVALID BALLOT I. Verify if the ballot belong to the precinct. If the ballot belong to another precinct, the voter shall return the ballot to the chairman who shall proceed to Step 4 and 5 hereof; II. If the ballot belongs to the precinct, let the voter refeed the ballot in 4 different 43. 44. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure 4) In all cases, if the PCOS rejects a ballot, the voter shall return the ballot to the Chairman who shall: I. Distinctly mark the back thereof as “REJECTED” II. Require all members of the BEI to sign at the back thereof, and place inside the Envelope for Rejected Ballots 44. 45. d.) Rejected Ballots Procedure 5) No replacement ballot shall be issued to a voter whose ballot is rejected by the PCOS; 6) Any party objecting to the rejection of the ballot shall reduce his objection in writing, which the BEI shall attach and note in the Minutes. 45. 46. Other Notes ON BALLOT: One ballot – One voter policy. The voter must no make any marks, or erasures on the ballot or must not commit any mistake in shading or in the choice of candidates. No over-voting. It will invalidate the segment with the over-voting. The ballot is bar-coded, color- coded, and number-coded. 46. 47. ON PCOS MACHINE: The PCOS Machine rejects previously scanned ballots, fake ballots, marked ballots or authentic ballots but not configured for the specific precinct. Voter is allowed 4 tries to insert his ballot on the PCOS. If it still fails, either the ballot is marked or the PCOS Machine is not working properly. If the PCOS Machine is not working properly, these are the steps 47. 48. Steps: Request for replacement of the PCOS Machine by a back-up PCOS Machine. If no back-up PCOS Machine, the current PCOS Machine will be repaired by the assigned technician upon instruction of the BEI. If cannot be repaired, wait for the PCOS Machine of the nearest precinct and have it reconfigured. 48. 49. ON MAXIMUM NO. OF VOTERS IN CLUSTERED PRECINT The number of voters in a precinct/clustered precinct should not exceed 1,000 voters. 49. 50. e) Prohibition on voting It shall be unlawful for a voter to: 1. Bring the ballot, ballot secrecy folder or marking pen outside of the polling place; 2. Speak with anyone other than as herein provided while inside the polling place; 3. Prepare his ballot without using the ballot secrecy folder or exhibit its contents; 4. Fill his ballot accompanied by another, except in the case of an illiterate or person with 50. 51. e) Prohibition on voting 5. Erase any printing from the ballot, or put any distinguishing mark on the ballot; 6. Use carbon paper, paraffin paper or other means of making a copy of the contents of the ballot, or other wise make use of any other scheme to identify his vote, including the use of digital cameras, cellular phones with camera or similar gadgets; and 7. Intentionally tear or deface the ballot. 51. 52. g) Challenge against illegal voters Any voter or watcher may challenge any person offering to vote for: 1. Not being registered; 2. Using the name of another; or 3. Suffering from an existing disqualification. 52. 53. In such cases, the BEI shall satisfy itself as to whether or not the ground for the challenge is true by requiring proof of registration, identity or disqualification. The BEI shall identify the voter through his photograph, fingerprint, or specimen signatures in the VRR or EDCVL. In the absence of any of the above-mentioned proof of identity, any member of the BEI may identify under oath a voter, and such act shall be reflected in the Minutes. 53. 54. h) Challenge based on certain illegal acts Any voter or watcher may challenge any voter offering to vote on the ground that he: 1. Received or expects to receive, paid, offered or promised to pay, contributed, offered or promised to contribute money or anything of value as consideration for his vote or for the vote of another; or 2. Made or received a promise to influence the giving or withholding of any such vote; or 3. Made a bet or is interested directly or indirectly 54. 55. h) Challenge based on certain illegal acts In such case, the challenged voter shall take an oath before the BEI that he has not committed any of the acts alleged in the challenge. Upon taking such oath, the challenge shall be dismissed and the voter shall be allowed to vote. In case the voter refuses to take oath, the challenge shall be sustained and the voter shall not be allowed to vote. 55. 56. The Structure HEADQUARTERS BRGY. CAPTAIN / LEADER CLUSTER HEAD CLUSTER AID CLUSTER AID Runner Runner Runner Runner Runner Runner 56. 57. Roles & Responsibilities Cluster Head (CH) Spearheads the cluster team Secures the pollwatchers kit Submits Watchers Appointment to the BEI Oversees the whole voting procedure Secures the Election Returns for submission to the Headquarters thru the BC/L Initiates the filing of protest (when needed) Reports/ communicates to the Headquarters updates 57. 58. Roles & Responsiblities Cluster Aids (CA) Assist the Cluster Head in overseeing all procedures inside the precinct Document/ take pictures of anomalous incidents inside the precinct CH & CA must participate in the pre-testing of PCOS 58. 59. Roles & Responsibilities Runners (Rnr) Should be visible in the vicinity of the polling precinct to: Identify voters and guide them to their polling precinct Assist voters locate their names in the voters list Provide information on the automated voting procedure Provide sample ballots Traffic/guide voters to fall in line and to maintain order Document and Report to the CH or CA anomalous 59. 60. Administrative Matters TIME OF DUTY All poll watchers should be at the polling place before 6:00 am. The Runners may be dismissed at the close of polling precincts at 6:00pm. The CH and CA shall stay at the polling precincts until the Election Returns is secured. They shall also accompany the BEI & the ballots until these are officially turned over to the City Board of Canvassers at the City Hall. The Brgy. Captains/Leaders will be responsible for 60. 61. Administrative Concerns THE POLLWATCHERS KIT There will be one pollwatchers kit per cluster. The Cluster Head shall pick up the kit from the Brgy. Captains/leaders the day before election day (or on May 9, 2010) who shall check for its contents and ensure that all forms and materials needed are complete. The Cluster Head shall also be responsible in returning the kit to the Brgy. Captains/Leaders and 61. 62. The Pollwatcher’s Kit Additional Contents: Headquarter’s Telephone Directory Acknowledgement Receipt to be signed upon receipt & return of the kit Pollwatchers Guide 62. 63. Important Items to Bring The CH & CA should bring inside the precinct at least one (1) cellphone with camera (w/ battery full) to document significant incidents in the precinct. The CH’s cel number indicated in his/her biodata submitted will be the official Packedco mnetaaclst naunmd bderirn okfs the cluster. Medicine for LBM or headache 63. 64. Compensation Each pollwatcher will be well-compensated. The compensation package will be placed in a sealed and signed envelope with the pollwatcher’s name. Compensation includes The envelopes will be released through the Brgy. Captain/Leader at the end of the day of 64. 65. Reminders Each pollwatcher will get either a free shirt or cap to be worn on election day to be easily identified. These will be distributed through the Brgy. Captains/leaders together with the PW Kit. ID’s should be worn at all times during the voting period. 65. 66. Reminders We represent the candidates/party that we protect. Be vigilant. Be assertive. But remain courteous, cool and calm at all times.