More party-list groups means a longer ballot

MANILA, Philippines—The ballot to be used in the country’s first automated polls in May could end up being as long as two and a half feet and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is hard pressed to make it shorter.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said currently the ballot had a “maximum” length of 26 inches or a little over 2 feet, but it could stretch to 29 inches after the approval of 144 party-list groups to participate in the elections.

“It’s the names of the party-list groups that would lengthen the ballot. We’re finding a way to shorten it further. Maybe we could just use acronyms only, or provide matching numbers,” Jimenez said in an interview over radio station dzBB.

Converted to the metric system, 26 inches is about 66 centimeters or two-thirds of a meter; 29 inches is 77.66 cm or nearly four-fifths of a meter.

Jimenez, who is the director of the Comelec’s education and information department, said that aside from the names of the party-list groups, each ballot would include the names of 10 presidential, eight vice presidential and 62 senatorial candidates.

The Institute of Political and Electoral Reform (IPER) blamed the Comelec for its problem on the long ballot.

“They approved so many party-list groups, which is higher than in 2009. I think they weren’t strict in screening the party-list groups, even if the Supreme Court already provided them with the guidelines,” IPER executive director Ramon Casiple told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.

Numbers confusing

Casiple said that if the length of the ballot was a problem, then it could either print the names on the ballot in smaller font or make it square rather than rectangular.

Jimenez’s proposals to use numbers in the ballot to represent the party-list groups might only lead to confusion, Casiple said.

“I think we can’t do anything much now,” he said, adding that the priority of the Comelec is to make the contents of the ballot clear to the voter.

Yet another party-list group is attempting to get on the ballot after it was first recognized, then scratched from the official roster.

Araro warning

The Alliance for Rural Agrarian Reconstruction (Araro) warned that its members belonging to 120 organizations nationwide would mount protests against its rejection.

Araro executive officer Elmer Cainday said that the Comelec had issued on Jan. 5 a resolution giving the green light to its petition for registration as a sectoral party.

But 10 days later, the Comelec released Resolution No. 8744 that contained the list of 144 accredited party-list groups. Araro was among those stricken off by the Comelec.

“Whether inadvertently or on purpose, the non-inclusion of Araro … has sparked anger and sowed confusion among those who support our legislative platform for a better deal for rural and urban poor folks and our goal towards genuine land reform and agricultural progress,” Cainday said.

The group is filing on Monday a motion for reconsideration. Reports from Jerome Aning and Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.