Mall Democracy?

A shopping mall is where you go to, well, shop. But if the Commission on Elections had its way, it could also be venue for the citizenry to exercise their civic duty, which is to vote.  Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said recently that the poll body is considering mall elections to “enhance the voting experience and to speed up the voting process”. This after the poll body studied election laws and found that there is no legal impediment to moving precincts near the malls to allow people to vote within the malls.

Thus, instead of  voting in a public school, people can go to the polling precincts within the malls.  Right now, the Comelec is already conducting satellite registration in a mall chain, which has also offered to host the elections in its 42 malls across the country. The Comelec is correct: mall voting can attract a larger voter turnout for the 2016 elections.

Mall voting is a “win-win” situation for the Comelec as it would avoid overcrowding, vote-buying and other problems on Election Day.  Mall voting is also good for business, to be sure, as the people flocking there to vote are also likely to patronize the various establishments within the mall.

According to the poll body, it will make the decision to push through with mall voting by November when it shall have finished its precinct mapping. We support the proposal of the Comelec to hold voting in the malls as his would definitely make it more convenient for people to cast their votes next year and thus contribute to free, fair and credible elections.

Mall voting, along with automated elections, will allow more people to exercise their constitutional right to choose the leaders of this country, and the  Comelec should push through with it. –End-

Image by: The Times