Why non-indelible ink for OAV?

Why non-indelible ink for OAV?

The O)AV voters has noted with shock and misgivings that the pen they are given to mark the ballots are the easily erased type and not the indelible pens that it must be. The complaints are aired by the voters who casted thgeir ballots on 13 April 2013 commencement of Overseas Absentee Voting in Hong Kong.

The complaints reported by Eman Villanueva. Migrante Partylist second nominee to the COMELEC Chairman who happen to be present in the OAV post at the time to supervise the operations to COMELEC Chair. Sixto Brillantes drily said that the COMELEC  lacks funds and has to be content with the materials that they can afford. It means the voters must be content and carry on.

“OFW voters were shocked and dismayed to discover that the Comelec is not using indelible ink anymore. They felt betrayed and short-changed, especially when Comelec Chair Brillantes said that the change was due to austerity measures because there is not enough funds for the OAV,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, Chairperson and 1^st nominee of Migrante Partylist.

Bragas-Regalado said that the same reason was given by Brillantes when it was also discovered that the PCOS machines did not have security locks.

“We are outraged. Conduct and safety measures of the elections, especially the OAV process, were set precisely to prevent possible fraudulent acts and to secure the sanctity of our votes. We fear that such arbitrary changes will make the OAV vulnerable to fraud and endanger the very outcome of the OAV,” Bragas-Regalado said.

There seems to have a systematic plan to discourage the Overseas voters to vote. This act of belittling the OAV voters and even disenfranchising  many of them by this ‘minor details’, is an indication.