The embassy in Sweden says “security on the spot” after some voters reported that they had received two ballot papers
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden assured voters under its jurisdiction that “adequate safeguards are in place” for abstention voting abroad as voters there reported receiving double ballot papers.
At least three Filipinos in Sweden have reported receiving two ballots each. One of the voters noted that his name was misspelled in the second ballot he received.
In a statement late Wednesday, Manila time, the embassy said the ballot papers they send out are based on Certified list of foreign absentee voters (CLOAV) provided by the Electoral Commission. The linked CLOAV does not have the selector’s misspelled name on the list.
“However, the embassy acknowledges that there may have been an element of human error on its part, as it had worked to ensure that ballot papers were sent to voters at their correct addresses as soon as possible … before the deadline for voting at 13.00 in May 9 “, said the Foreign Service.
The Philippine Embassy in Stockholm has jurisdiction over 1,089 registered Filipino voters in Sweden and 467 voters in Finland. The Philippines there can cast their votes by postal ballot with a manual voting system.
“Please ensure that adequate safeguards are in place in accordance with foreign voting procedures,” the embassy said.
Double ballot papers
In a public Facebook post made after midnight on Wednesday, Manila time, a voter based in Sweden said that he received a second election package on April 12. The voter did not grant an interview request, but allowed Philstar.com to write about his experience in the context provided that his name is excluded.
According to his post, the voter already filled in a postal ballot he received from the embassy on April 11, which was then paper-sealed and “ready for mail delivery”.
He noted that the second vote misspelled his name and, as can be seen from a photo attached to the post, the Vote Safe Pilipinas logo was missing from the accompanying envelope.
“Everything is almost the same except for the election number and the election envelope number, of course. The other has a stamp but another does not have it “, said the voter.
He expressed concern about the possibility of voting too much. He was also worried that his vote might not count because he was unsure which ballot box to use.
“If this is a mistake, please admit it and act quickly. If this is not and is deliberately judged, we have a bigger problem here,” the voter said.
Hours later, the voter updated the post to say that the embassy has already clarified the incident with him.
“We are investigating the matter and will inform COMELEC of the error,” a representative of the embassy told voters according to the attached screenshots of their correspondence.
The embassy also gave him instructions on which ballot paper, envelope and paper seal he would use. The voter was allowed to vote in person.
“I will submit the ballot in person after the holidays and will ensure that the other will be disposed of accordingly. I am grateful for the prompt reply, but I would like to take responsibility for this scenario, that is why I did it. this post in the first place “, he said.