Yesterday at iBlog11, we’ve had James Jimenez from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) who gave a talk as part of a series on Blogging and the Philippine elections. From all the info that he gave, what matters to me most is the routinal timelime the Commission (and the politicians as well) has been into.
For this one, he explained that this timeline spans three years, and as far as I have understood, this is how it goes:
COMELEC’s timeline
- Year 1: Do the elections.
- Year 2: Clean up the mess.
- Year 3: Prepare for the next elections.
Politicians’ timeline
- Year 1: Do campaigns to bolster presence and ensure better chances of winning their respective position.
- Year 2: If they win, they do their job; if they lose, they will contest the loss before the next elections.
- Year 3: Prepare for the next elections.
This information, as Jimenez states, should prove that elections are not sealed in a vacuum. This is provided for the benefit of the public as well, and chances are your country does the same.
Sidenote: Voter Ed vs. Voter Info
On another hand, I learned more on how the Commission does business (they decide per division ) and that ‘voter information’ is different from ‘voter education’:
- Voter Information is where we tell people “there are X days left before voter registration closes.”
- Voter Education is where we tell people “This is how you vote — first, go to the COMELEC office in your town with your Valid ID; second, fill up the form; etc.”
