Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

‘TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2922

Introduced by Rep. FERDINAND ALEXANDER A. MARCOS
I*District, Ilocos Norte

EXPLANATORY NOTE

At the height of the pandemic, a number of states in the United States have
explored the advantages of postal or mail-in voting, also known as vote-by-mail, to
avoid the possible COVID-19 health risks associated with large crowds at polling
places. The pandemic has engendered extensive fears about long and slowly-moving
lines and big crowds at polling places. Of serious and special concem is the welfare of
the elderly, the handicapped and the sick who are most vulnerable to the contagion.

Apart from the avoidance of the health risks associated with COVID, the
availability of postal voting also has other advantages. It can reduce staff
requirements at polling centers during an election. It can also save a lot of money and
man-hours considering the great distances that citizens in some instances would have
to spend in going back to the places where they are registered voters. But most
importantly perhaps, research has shown that mail-in voting increases voter tumout. It
has been found out that some segments of the population typically vote in lower
numbers. This includes young people, low-income people, minorities and those
without access to transportation. With the ease of voting to be provided by
vote-by-mail, there exists an incentive for greater democratic participation on the part
of our people (even if we factor in only the targeted groups of beneficiaries under this
bill, namely, the sick, the handicapped and the elderly).

In the United States, as of July 2020, five states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon,
Utah and Washington — hold elections almost entirely by mail. Postal voting is an
option in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Other states allow postal voting only
in certain circumstances, though the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted further
discussion about relaxing some of those restrictions. In spite of the objections on the
part of some sectors, there has been little or negligible proof that mail-in voting
increases the likelihood of fraud. In any case, researches have shown that the
advantages of vote-by-mail far outweigh the disadvantages, real or imagined, of the
system.

Needless to state, the “new normal” compels us to adopt new paradigms or ways
of doing things in order to sustain, if not reignite, our democratic way of life. And
there is no better way of going about this than to adopt the best practices which have
been time-tested in other jurisdictions.


This is a refiled bill from the Eighteenth (18th) Congress, where the Hon. Rep.
Dan S. Fernandez authored the original measure, namely, House Bill No. 7930.

For the foregoing reasons, the early approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

rennin gy ALEXANDER A. MARCOS


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2922

Introduced by Rep. FERDINAND ALEXANDER A. MARCOS
1District, locos Norte

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR POSTAL OR MAIL-IN VOTING FOR SENIOR CITIZENS,
THE HANDICAPPED, THE SICK AND LOCALLY STRANDED
INDIVIDUALS IN TIMES OF PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES OR
STATES OF CALAMITY

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Declaration of Policy. ~The State shall ensure the free exercise of
the right of suffrage by all citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by
law.

SEC. 2. Postal or Mail-in Voting System. - The Commission on Elections shall
adopt and implement a postal or mail-in voting system in times of public health
‘emergencies or states of calamity for the benefit of senior citizens, the handicapped,
the sick and locally stranded individuals who are duly registered voters and who, on
election day, may not be able to vote due to high risk of infection or physical
impossibility.

SEC. 3. Definition. — As used in this Act, postal or mail-voting refers to a form of
absentee voting in which a ballot is mailed to the home of a registered voter, who fills
out and returns it by postal mail or drops it off in-person or by a representative into a
secure drop box or at a voting center. For instances of postal mail, the State shall
allocate the necessary funds for the payment of postage.

SEC. 4. Applicability. — This Act shall apply in all local, national and overseas
balloting as well as to all national referenda and plebiscites.

SEC. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. ~ The Commission on Elections
shall, within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate the
implementing rules and regulations for the effective implementation thereof.

SEC. 6. Appropriations. ~The initial funding of this Act shall be charged against
the current year’s appropriations or from any available savings of the Commission on
Elections. Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary for the continued


implementation of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.

SEC. 7. Repealing Clause. — All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders,
resolutions, rules and regulations, other issuances, and parts thereof, which are
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

SEC. 8. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its complete
publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,