Resting in peace and moving us only by their memories, legacies, and wisdom. Under ordinary circumstances, that ought to be the extent of our dearly departed’s influence on current events. Instead, we see their names popping up on the list of voters, giving rise to specters of flying voters and electoral fraud.
The main reason for that can be found in the way the deceased are de-listed. Going by the rules, a dead person’s name is removed from the list of voters when the local civil registrar informs the local Election Officer of the fact of death, and the EO then begins the de-listing process.
Unfortunately, for a variety of causes, the list given by the local civil registrar isn’t always complete. As a result, on election day, familiar names appear on the list that shouldn’t be there.
In response to this problem, the COMELEC has recently promulgated Resolution No. 9712, which directs the National Statistics Office to, first, provide the COMELEC with the 2010-2013 National List of Deceased Persons of Voting Age; and second, to update that list with us on a quarterly basis. This list, which will be received by the COMELEC Central Office will then be shared with all local EOs to ensure that the names of the dead in their respective jurisdictions are promptly removed from the rolls.
All well and good, but to manage expectations, here are a couple of points to keep in mind.
First, remember that the list will only be updated quarterly, so there can be as long as a three-month wait before a deceased person’s name is stricken from the record. On top of that, it would be safe to assume at least a month’s processing time since the removal of a person’s name from the list can also take some time. Those who check the online precinct finder more often than that, therefore, are bound to be disappointed.
And second, remember also that if the death happens after the Book of Voters has been sealed prior to an election, then the name of the deceased will definitely still be on the list on election day.