It’s been a crazy week: Monday marked the much-awaited national elections here in the Philippines. This isn’t the first time for me to vote; I’ve already voted at one national election and one senatorial election, but this is the first time the country is using automated elections and there was much anxiety about the new technology.
The family walked to the voting center just before 9am. We checked our names in the master list, where I sighed with relief at finding my name listed because I couldn’t find it on the site — it turns out they misspelled my middle name. We proceeded to our clustered precinct to find that the line was snaking down the hallway, packed with other voters.
Mom took all of ten minutes to cast her vote– she just got her senior citizen card this year and took the priority lane. Meanwhile, I was at the back of the line with my brother and sister, several lightyears away. Good thing I brought a book to read, Roberto Bolaño’s 2666 , which I’m reading for the Chunkster Challenge.
Reading was actually quite challenging, as the heat was setting in, we had nowhere to sit, and from time to time there was some commotion happening in the vicinity (paper-jammed ballot scanner, incumbent mayor arrives, line jumper gets screamed at by the angry mob, etc.). Nevertheless, I made good progress, as I’m now at over a hundred pages into 2666 (groan, out of 898).
Mom went home ahead of us to cook lunch, but when it was clear we weren’t going anywhere soon, she returned (Mama, you’re the best!) to bring us towels, food, ice-cold water, and a book for my sister to read:
Tee-hee. My sister’s a big Barbara Cartland fan, and she’s currently building her collection. She has about 50 of them already, but there are over 700 Barbara Cartland books, so good luck to her on collecting the rest of them!
After a total of four hours (fanning ourselves and kibitzing at the queue), we were finally inching closer to the precinct door, and given makeshift numbers.
We were ushered into the precinct, given our ballots, and five minutes later, we had successfully fed our ballots into the scanners.
The chances of getting struck by lighting on the way to the voting precinct is actually greater than the chance that our vote will affect the outcome of the elections, but it’s a duty we gladly perform for our country, in the hopes of a change in leadership that will finally lead the country to progress.
[amazonify]::omakase::300:250[/amazonify]
i also brought a book with me during the election. i was at the precinct’s holding room by 730 am and was able to vote by 11am. Suffering from heat,hunger,restlessness,tired and thirst. I wasnt able to go out of the holding room i have no substitute in my line. I came together with my parents though they are on different precincts with me but were able to vote way ahead of me. Worst the PCOS machine malfunctioned, I thought “Shit naman!” Nakakatuwa coz there wer people behind me who brought sudoku puzzle book for them to answer, a reader’s digest and some more things to help them get by with the waiting time.
What did you read, Ella? :)
Same here! Lined up for 4 hours and brought a book. I finished it in 3 hours… kaya in 2016 I swear I’m bringing TWO books while lining up at the precinct. :)
I hope they make the next election more efficient!