SUFFRAGE AND
ELECTION
What is the definition of
SUFFRAGE
ARTICLE V SECTION 1
OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES
 Suffrage may be exercised by all citizens of the Philippines, not
otherwise disqualified by law, who are at least 18 years of age and
who shall have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in
the place wherein they propose to vote for at least 6 months
immediately preceding the election. No literacy, property or other
substantive requirement shall be imposed on the exercise of suffrage.
ARTICLE V SECTION 1
OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES
 On the other hand, suffrage is on of the political rights enjoyed by
the citizens of the country.
 This is because through the exercise of suffrage, citizens can
participate in the establishment and administration of government
 Thus, it includes election, plebiscite, referendum, initiative and
recall.
ARTICLE V SECTION 2
OF THE 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE PHILIPPINES
 The Congress shall provide a system for securing the secrecy and
sanctity of the ballot as well as a system for absentee voting by
qualified Filipinos abroad. The Congress shall also design a procedure
for the disabled and the illiterates to vote without the assistance of
other persons. Until then, they shall be allowed to vote under existing
laws and such rules as the Commission on Elections may promulgate
to protect the secrecy of the ballot.
THE SCOPES OF
SUFFRAGE
SCOPE OF SUFFRAGE
 Election – means by which people choose their officials for
definite and fixed periods and to whom they entrust, for the time
being as their representatives, the exercise of powers of government.
 Plebiscite – the vote of the people expressing their choice for or
against a proposed law or enactment submitted to them
 Referendum – the submission of a law by the national or local
legislative to the voting citizens of a country for their ratification.
SCOPE OF SUFFRAGE
 Initiative – the process whereby the people directly propose and
enact laws
 Recall – method by which a public officer may be removed from
office during his tenure or before the expiration of his term by a vote
of the people after registration of a petition signed by a required
percentage of voters.
THE TYPES OF
SUFFRAGE
TYPES OF SUFFRAGE
 Universal Suffrage – where it exists, the right to vote is not restricted
by sex, race, social status, education level or wealth.
 Woman Suffrage – it is the right of women to vote on the same
terms as men.
 Equal Suffrage – it may be sometimes confused with Universal
Suffrage, although the meaning of the former is the removal of graded
votes, wherein a voter could possess a number of votes in accordance
with income, wealth of social status
TYPES OF SUFFRAGE
 Census Suffrage– aka “censitary suffrage”, the opposite of Equal Suffrage,
meaning that the votes cast by those eligible to vote are not equal but are weighed
differently according to the person’s rank in the census
 Compulsory Suffrage– those who are eligible to vote are required by law to do
so
 Business Vote – in local government in England and some of its ex-colonies,
businesses formerly had, and in some places still have, a vote in the urban area in
which they paid rates. This is an extension of the historical property-based franchise
from natural persons to other legal persons.
THE NATURE OF
SUFFRAGE
NATURE OF SUFFRAGE
 Mere Privilege – suffrage is not a natural right of the citizens but
a privilege to be given or with held by the law making power subject
to constitutional limitations
 Political Right
- enabling every citizen of the country to
participate in the process of government to assure that its powers
from the consent of the governed.
NATURE OF SUFFRAGE
 Plebiscite – in the Philippines, the term is applied to an election at
which any proposed amendment to, or revision of the constitution is
submitted to the people for their ratification (Art. 17Sec. 2)
 Referendum – submission of a law or part thereof passed by the
nation or local legislative body to the voting citizens of a country for
their ratification or rejection (Art. 6 Sec. 32)
NATURE OF SUFFRAGE
 Initiative – process whereby people directly propose the enat laws.
Congress is mandated by the Constitution to provide as early as
possible for a system of referendum.
 Recall – tenure method by which a public office may be removed
during his tenure or before the expiration of his term. (Art. 10 Sec. 3)
SUFFRAGE
AND ITS IMPORTANCE
 As a final note, the importance of suffrage cannot be over
emphasized as it is the bedrock of the Philippine Democracy and
republicanism.
 Removed, then the Philippines is no longer democratic and
republican.
END OF SUFFRAGE
What is the definition of
ELECTION
ELECTION
 It is the principal means by which the citizens of the country vote
and select certain officials to represent them in the administration of
the government. It may be local or national.
 An election is a formal decision-making process by which a
population chooses an individual to hold public office.
 Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern
representative democracy has operated since the 17th century
THE HISTORY OF
ELECTION
HISTORY OF ELECTION
 Beginning during the Spanish Colonial Period there were a few
attempts nationally of electing local officials. Once the Spanish
colonial government was replaced by the American colonial Insular
Government. following the Spanish–American War, and the First
Philippine Republic defeated in the Philippine–American War, there
were multiple elections held throughout peaceful areas of the country
for provincial and local officials.
HISTORY OF ELECTION
 During the First Philippine Republic an attempt was made to elect
a national congress but the Republic did not control the Philippines
and so no nationwide election could be held. The first fully national
election for a fully elected legislative body was in 1907 for
the Philippine Assembly, the elected half of the bicameral Philippine
Legislature during the American Colonial Period.
TYPES OF ELECTIONS
TYPES OF ELECTION
 General Election – are those held for the purpose of electing
national and local officials simultaneously
 National Elections – are those conducted to elect the President, Vice
President and members of Congress
 Local Elections – those held for purpose of selecting officials in the
region, provinces, cities and municipalities
 Special Elections – held on a date different from that of regular
elections.
VOTING
VOTERS
 Republic Act 8189 “Voters Registration Act of 1996”
 A citizen, in order to be qualified to exercise his right to vote, in
addition to the minimum requirements set by fundamental charte is
obliged by law to register.
QUALIFICATION
 Every citizen 18 years old or above on Election Day
 A resident of the Philippines for at least a year and for at least 6
months on the place he is registering
 Not otherwise disqualified by law, may vote
 In order to actually vote, a citizen has to register
 The COMELEC has a registration period for several months prior
to election
ABSENTEE VOTERS
 Absentee voters are divided into two types: the local absentee voters and the
overseas absentee voters.
 Local absentee voters include people who are working during Election
Day like soldiers, policemen, government employees and the like.
 Overseas absentee voters refer to Filipinos residing abroad. They are
eligible to vote on national positions only. Overseas absentee voters may
vote in Philippine embassies and consulates, and voting begins as early as
a 4 months prior to the election.
 The voting can be as long as 6 months in very few situations.
PROCESS
 Once a registered voter finds his/her name I the voters’s list and locates the
correct precinct he may queue in line for the distribution of the ballot.
 Voters have to write the names of the candidates next to the positions in which
they are running.
 COMELEC-approved nicknames maybe used by the voters in writing the
names. After the polling period ends, the Board of Election Inspectors counts the
ballots by hand.
 The election returns will now be sent to the city or municipal Board of
Canvassers, political parties and other group
RULES GOVERNING
ELECTIONS IN THE
PHILIPPINES
RULES
 The supervision of the elections in the Philippines is under the
charge of the Commission on Elections or COMELEC.
 In the process of supervising the conducts of elections, the
COMELEC is guided by the rules governing elections as stated in the
provisions of Republic Act No. 7166
RULES
 Elections on Campaign Period – campaign period for the
President, Vice President and Senators is 90 days before the day of
election and 45 days before the day of election for members of the
House of Representatives
 Nomination and Selection of Official Candidates – even the
period for political conventions for the purpose of forming political
parties and nominating official is fixed by legislation
RULES
 Filing of Certificate of Candidacy – the certificate of an
individual running for national elections is required to be filed a the
main office of the COMELEC not later than the day prior to the
beginning to the campaign period.
 Precincts and Polling Places – every barangay is required to
have at least one election precinct, with each precinct having not more
than 300 votes.
RULES
 Registration of Voters – it is held on the 15th Saturday prior to
the day of election for those who are to reach 18 years or before the
day of election and for those qualifies to cast their vote but not
included in the list of voters.
 Common Poster Area – the COMELEC is empowered to
designate common poster areas in the barangay where candidates can
post their election propaganda announcing their candidacy
RULES
 Official Watchers – every political party and candidate is entitled
to one watcher in every polling place and canvassing center.
 Board of Election Inspectors – is constituted by a chairmain
and two members who are permanent public school teachers.
 Board of Canvassers – in every province, city and municipality, a
board of canvassers are constituted and is composed of provincial
election supervisor
PHILIPPINE ELECTORAL
SYSTEM
PHILIPPINE ELECTORAL
SYSTEM
 The Philippines is a functioning democracy, though popular
protests have forced out two presidents in almost more than 20 years:
first, Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 for alleged electoral manipulation.
And second, Joseph Estrada in 2001 for allegedly plundering the
economy.
 The country’s politics haave continued to be characterized by
volatility.
PHILIPPINE ELECTORAL
SYSTEM
 The Philippines is still grappling with Muslim separatists,
predominantly those of the island of Mindanao.
 In addition, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, won a contentious election
in 2004 and is now facing an electoral scandal, after a hone call
between her and an election official, taped before the election had
concluded, turned up. Arroyo has denied she made any attempt to
influence the vote.
END OF REPORT 