The Women's Election Watch article Every Voter, a Poll Watcher
(found at www.kababaihan.org/wewatch98/fraud/fraud-tips.htm) explain's NANFREL's philosophy that "every voter can act like a pollwatcher and help prevent electoral fraud."
All About Fraud
Every voter, a poll watcher
Sunday Inquirer Magazine, May 10, 1998, page 16
Because electoral fraud can be carried out at various stages of the electoral
process--before, during, and after voting--it is important to learn from past elections
how fraud can be attempted. Namfrel's philosophy is that every voter can act like a
poll watcher and help prevent electoral fraud. On Election Day, you will spend anywhere
from 20 to 45 minutes looking for your name and precinct, lining up to get your ballot,
filling it out, and casting your vote. In some cases, you could spend more time depending
on how large the crowds are at your polling place. During that time, you can protect your
interest as well as that of other voters by keeping a protectie eye on the electoral
process.
Listed below are just some examples of what has happened in the past in the hope that
we can learn from the past to create a better future.
Fraud Before Elections
Bribery: Vote-buying; Buying abstentions (negative vote buying), paying people
to stay home; Promise of jobs, loans, promotions, etc.; Paying members of Boards of
Election Inspectors to keep them from properly performing their functions.
Intimidation: Direct threats to voters to dissuade or prevent them from voting;
Threats against the family of the voter; Threats against the business of the voter;
Threats against members of the BEI not to assume their functions.
Illegal use of indelible ink - to prevent a registered voter from casting his
ballot, indelible ink is applied to the right forefinger of the voter before he goes to
the polling place so he will not be allowed to vote.
Kidnapping of voters and holding them in a place so that they cannot vote or far
from their place of registration or residence.
Assigning registered voters to places where they cannot vote or far from their
place of registration or residence.
Sowing fear and unrest to discourage people from voting.
Spreading false reports about the withdrawal or disqualification of a candidate
to confuse voters.
Changing the numbering of polling places and precincts without notice to confuse
voters.
Changing the location of polling places without notice to confuse voters.
Marking ballots so they will be considered spoiled ballots.
Fraud During Voting Hours
(7 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Assuming identity of another voter and voting in his name.
Accompanying a voter to the voting booth to influence a voter to cast a vote for
a particular candidate.
"Lanzadera" - this is a form of vote-buying where a blank ballot form
is stolen from a precinct and filled out in advance and given to a voter. In turn, when
the voter receives his blank ballot from the BEI, he switches the ballots in the booth,
returns with the pre-filled-out ballot, and exits with a new blank ballot. He turns over
the blank ballot to a political party representative in exchange for money and the cycle
repeats itself. Lanzadera can be difficult to spot because genuine ballots are used.
However, in order to prevent it a poll watcher should make sure that the BEI checks ballot
serial numbers at the time of issuance to the voter and then again before the completed
ballot is dropped in the ballot box. The serial numbers are recorded in the Voter
Registration Record book.
The use of carbon or paraffin or a duplicating device to disclose the contents
of a ballot to someone who is buying votes.
Delaying delivery of ballots and other election materials to discourage voters
from exercising their right to vote.
Disrupting the means of transporation to polling places on Election Day.
Delisting or transferring of voters from the voters' list at the last
minute, preventing voters from finding their correct precinct assignment and voting.
Accompanying illiterate or disabled boters and entering votes irrespective of their
choice.
Forcible taking or snatching of ballot boxes.
Stealthily or surreptitiously substituting ballots during a simulated disorder
designed to create confusion in the polling place.
Theft or destruction of ballot, election returns, and other vital election
materials.
Bribery or intimidation of members of the BEI to influence their decision on
challenges and protests made during voting hours.
Stealing, tearing, smudging, or defacing the list of voters posted at each
polling place to prevent voters from finding their names.
Delivery of official ballots in excess of authorized quantities. The excess
ballots may be used to "manufacture" votes.
Prematurely handing out ballots or applying indelible ink before the
voters' proper time to vote.
Flying or Multiple Voting - this occurs when one person tries to vote more than
once, moving around to different polling places or even different municipalities and using
different identities of Voter Registration Record numbers. In cases where the multiple
listing is discovered in voting lists, flying voters can be prevented from voting by
challenging them before the BEI. Another way of preventing flying voters is to check their
right forefinger for indelible ink, a telltale sign that they have already voted.
Fraud During Counting
(after 3 p.m.)
The counting of votes will take place in every precinct after voting hours close at
3:00 p.m. Usually, the BEI will take a short break and set up the room and materials for
the counting. There are three areas to watch for consistency and proper entry of the
results: (a). the accurate reading of names on the ballot, (b). the accurate tallying of
the votes on the tally sheets pasted on the wall, and (c). the accurate recording of the
results on the election returns, which are prepared in seven sets and signed by the BEI
before they are sent to the Boards of Canvassers. There should be no inconsistency
in the results of the three activities.
In every precinct, there should be a summary or reconciliation of the valid ballots,
spoiled ballots, and unused ballots at the end of the voting period. This should tally
with the total number of ballots issued at the beginning of the voting period. There
should be no discrepancy.
At the municipal or city Board of Canvassers, the results of all election returns for
that city or municipality will be entered into a Statement of Votes Cast. The sum of all
Statements of Votes Cast will in turn be entered into a Certificate of Canvass. All the
totals must tally with the supporting documents. Dagdag-bawas occurs when totals
per candidate on the Statement of Votes Cast or the Certificate of Canvass do not match
each other or that of the Election Returns. In these cases, numbers are added to some
candidates and shaved or subtracted from others so that grandtotals for registered voters
in the city or municipality remain the same. The scheme is repeated at the provincial
board of canvassers to magnify the tampering and increase disparities between provincial
certificates and election returns.
To prevent dagdag-bawas, the following documents must be
monitored closely: the Election Returns from the precinct; the Statements of Votes Cast
and Certificates of Canvass per City and Municipality, and the Statements of Votes Cast
and Certificates of Canvass per province.
