Snafu marks OAV start

Lim after successfully casting his vote

ELECTION commissioner Arthur Lim himself came here to oversee the start of the overseas absentee voting (OAV) and to cast his vote.

Lim was one of the first voters to cast their ballot at the Bayanihan Center on April 9 but he almost voted in the wrong precinct because the election officers here mistook his middle name, Delubio, for his surname.

“You might have noticed that I actually went to two precincts. There was some sort of miscommunication. They thought Delubio was me. Actually, that is my middle name,” Lim told reporters.

“It might have been first day, jitters,” he added.

Lim had already shaded his ballot in Precinct 10 when he was told that his actual precinct was Precinct 6. His ballot was eventually set aside and declared as “spoiled.”

“It will be recorded as such. If someone tried to put it in the machine, it will not be read,” Lim said.

He said the members of the special board of election inspectors (SBEI) might have thought that he was a commissioner so they allowed him to vote in precinct 10.

“That is not allowed,” Lim said, adding that he also was not made to sign on the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL) before he got his ballot.

Comelec director Jane Valeza said election inspectors should first check a voter’s identity through the EDCVL before giving her a ballot.

“There is a picture there and a signature, they should compare it (and confirm) before allowing him to vote. He should also be made to sign. Without the signature, they will not be issued a ballot,” she said.

Lim tried to look at the snafu positively, adding that it alerted the Comelec to other possible errors int he voting process.

“Our SBEI are just human. I’m not saying we are perfect. They might have just been overwhelmed because it was an election commissioner who was voting so they did not tell us to sign,” Lim said.

“If that can happen to a commissioner, that can happen to any registered voter. But it’s not bad. This means lesson learned. We will remind all SBEI to be really extra careful and cautious and forestall errors like this,” he said.

“We will go through the process and make timely reminders and avoid opening day jitters. All’s well that ends well,” he added.

Lim noted that there was no problem with the voting machines issuing voter-receipts.

“I examined it and it was an accurate one to one reflection between what I actually voted for–the candidates voted for—and the names printed on the receipt,” he said.