Press Statement

May 8, 2022

Contact: Karen Roxas, +1-408-800-1531, kontradayausa@gmail.com

Overseas Voters Raise the Alarm over Disenfranchisement amid Late Ballots and 13,000+ Returned to Sender

With less than 24 hours left until the deadline for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) for the 2022 Philippine Elections, many voters fear their ballots will not be mailed to consulates in time to be counted after receiving them late. Worse, more than 13,000 voters have not received their ballot at all after being “returned to sender.”

As early as the beginning of the OAV period, Filipinos claimed widespread OAV mishandling on the part of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) after ballots had not yet been received by voters. In an April 18 press conference, community groups demanded the COMELEC extend the original OAV U.S. deadline of May 9th, 4am PT after learning that thousands of ballots had yet to be sent.

“The delays in the mailing correspond to delays in the receipt of the voters of the ballot packets,” read a petition initiated by Migrante Los Angeles, Malaya Los Angeles, and concerned voters. “The burden of returning the ballots to the consular posts in time lies now in the voters who have to devise all means possible for their votes to be counted and not be disenfranchised.”

To date, the COMELEC has yet to respond to the demand.

Although consular offices and the embassy announced on-site voting for registered voters who did not receive their ballots, this information came too late, with less than a week left before the deadline. This is also inconsiderate of many voters who live far away from consular posts who are now at the risk of disenfranchisement.

“It’s not like this is the first time they are doing overseas elections—they should’ve anticipated these problems already,” said Ruthie Arroyo, a volunteer for election watchdog Kontra Daya USA. “Information about overseas voting continues to be sporadic and last minute, especially as we approach the voting deadline. Our kababayan are confused, but also outraged at the threat of disenfranchisement for such a crucial election. The COMELEC and the Duterte administration should take responsibility for this clear infringement on democratic rights.” ###

Press Statement

Monday, April 18, 2022

Contact: Nikki De Leon, +1-408-800-1531, kontradayausa@gmail.com

RESOURCES FOR MEDIA

Amid Delayed Ballots & OAV Irregularities, Filipinos across the U.S. Organize to Take Matters into Their Own Hands

One week into the 2022 Overseas Absentee Voting window (April 10-May 9), tens of thousands of registered voters in the US have still not received their ballots. Filipinos across the US are claiming widespread OAV mishandling on the part of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), which according to R.A. 9189 should have transmitted ballots to embassies and consulates no later than 75-days before the day of elections.

“Mabibilang sa kamay ang nakatanggap ng balota, sa mga kakilala naming registered voters,” shared Tabitha Ponciano of Malaya Movement USA. “Based sa mga reports na narinig namin, wala pa sa 50 percent ng mga balota sa konsulado ang kanilang nai-mail at this point, and this is an optimistic estimate. With 20 days left in elections, this is why we say there's cause for alarm.”

Beyond the risk of delayed receipt of ballots, Rey Belen of 1SAMBAYAN in Chicago feared that hundreds may not receive a ballot at all. “The consulate in Chicago announced there are 392 registered voters with no address on file, and that because of this, these voters may possibly not receive their ballots.”

For Carolina de Leon of Malaya Movement New York, the threat of disenfranchisement holds especially true for migrant, working Filipinos. “We know that many of our kababayan are working in domestic work and are live-in. If they’re living at their employers’ place for one week, two weeks, they might not get home in time to receive their ballots.” The consulates’ reasoning that voters should not worry about delayed ballots because they have 30 days to submit them is of little reassurance to such workers.

Not Just COMELEC, Embassy and Consulates, Too

Other community and civic leaders were likewise dismayed by the conduct of embassy and consular officials, which have been fraught with last minute notification, inefficient communication systems, and excuses when questioned by their constituents.

“We sent a letter to bring to the attention [of Ambassador Jose Romualdez] the disturbing problems regarding the Filipino Overseas Absentee Voting,” voiced Eric Lachica of U.S. Filipinos for Good Governance (USFGG). Among these problems was the embassy’s last minute press release dated April 8 notifying the public of an April 9 deadline to submit applications for poll watchers, news media, and local community observers, leaving the public with an “unreasonable twenty-four hour application deadline.”

“We were able to raise concerns to Consul General Edgar Badajos,” expressed Xenia Tupas of Migrante Los Angeles, “but they responded that they only have an email for queries on overseas voting, which doesn’t reply timely.” Ara Chawdhury, who joined a delegation to ask questions from the San Francisco Consulate General in early April, echoed Tupas’ concerns. “How can you expect one agency to field 47,000 emails?” questioned Chawhury, referencing the over 47,000 registered overseas voters under the San Francisco consulate’s jurisdiction. “It doesn’t make sense that the best you can do is to email your concerns. There’s no help desk? It’s ridiculous how unimportant this seems to them.”

Not Simply Isolated Incidents

Leaders noted that the current mishandling of the OAV process cannot simply be attributed to one-time blunders.

“They knew six years ago that there would be an election,” insisted de Leon. “They are well-paid public officials in the COMELEC. They should have been preparing for this election.”

Belen and Chawdhury even recounted their experiences trying to register as overseas voters in the Fall of 2021. Ultimately, they were unable to register on time due to conflicting and unclear information posted on consulate websites. Since the 2019 midterm election, overseas voter registration in the US dropped by 19 percent.

Nerissa Allegretti of 1SAMBAYAN USA noted that among the overseas elections she has participated in, the 2022 elections has been the worst. “The situation we have now is unimaginable. In previous elections, we had ballots by March. Now, we only have 20 days left and tens of thousands of voters are still without their ballots.”

Elsewhere, disturbing reports of OAV irregularities under the watch of Philippine foreign missions in countries like Singapore and Sweden started in early April. Complaints include delayed ballots, pre-shaded ballots, receiving more than one ballot, and misspelled registered voter names on mail-in envelopes.

Taking Matters into Their Own Hands

With only 30 days allotted for OAV ballot casting, every day of delay in ballot distribution is a threat to the integrity of the institution of elections and hard-won Philippine democracy. Organizers have chosen to confront this threat to democracy head-on.

“We are coming together to support Kontra Daya and the efforts to monitor fraud during this election,” announced Nikki De Leon of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns. “If you or anyone you know experience irregularities during the OAV period, please speak up. Your voice and experience will help to ensure a clean and honest election this 2022.” Voters can file a confidential report at bit.ly/kontradayausa.

Further, speakers called for an investigation of the COMELEC to ensure they be held accountable for the poor handling of overseas absentee voting.

Beyond these measures, Ponciano emphasized collective action to ensure votes are counted, including “get out the vote” efforts being conducted across formations like 1SAMBAYAN USA, US Filipinos for Good Governance, Malaya Movement, and BAYAN USA. “We can’t rely on the COMELEC to take action,” argued Ponciano. “We need to emphasize our collective action and make a collective effort to get our votes in. We can deliver our votes together directly to the doors of the consulates, or organize mass ballot drop offs at post offices.”

Organizers are set to hold a National Day of Action for Hope and Democracy across several cities in the US on Saturday, April 23. In addition to protecting the country’s democracy, organizers remain vigilant against fraud and are demanding clean, honest, and transparent Philippine elections in 2022. For more information on April 23 actions, visit malayamovement.com/hope-democracy. ###