Easy as one, two and three

Before I reached legal age, I told my friends that I would waive my right to vote.

The controversies faced by the politicians made it easy for me to gloat. I thought there was no point in voting. Anyway, the same dynasty would still sit on the throne.

But now that I am truly qualified to enjoy suffrage, I wave hysterically at the thought of saying no.

The women's fight for suffrage in our country was not an easy battle. It required marching and shouting on the streets demanding the exact privilege as that of men. The 20s was a time of gender discrimination. I couldn't see any difference between a male and a female intellectually. They are both citizens of the country. Why deny them the right to choose people who would equally represent them in governance?

The fight was victorious as we can see today. But this does not mean that we would take for granted the blood and sweat poured by the women heroes at that time just to fight for suffrage. 

Yes, the amendment pushed through and the wrong notion of not having women in politics has been changed. It was a success indeed. That is why it does not give me enough reason to withdraw from the privilege of choosing the next set of leaders.

Declining would only make things worse. Instead of giving one count to a deserving person, the vote would only go to waste. The fostering of apathy would only make other Filipinos follow. Now the waste is not just mine.

Election time would also be a good step to show the wiser ones that the young cannot be persuaded by their mischievous tricks. At 15, I declined an envelope from a Sagguniang Kabataan party during the October 2010 elections. I know the candidates weren't to blame, those behind them were. Again, a sad reality of how the young are taught by the older generation.

A couple of bucks can be so tempting especially to one who relies on a meager allowance. But dignity could not be replaced by any amount. It is said that those who pay to win do not trust themselves because he or she has to buy votes in order to win.

And so with all these reflections, I recently volunteered to submit myself for registration at the COMELEC office at our municipal hall. I was ready to stand up for hours and fight grumbling office staff who would not understand what I want.

Lo and behold, the process was easy.

It only took my identification card to do wonders. A form was given and I religiously filled it out. Once done, I sat to have my picture taken. To seal the deal, I imprinted both of my thumb marks on the same form and accepted my acknowledgement receipt. I only spent 20 minutes for the entire historical benchmark of my life.

This improvement would entice new applicants and inactive voters who have changed status or residences. There is no problem with the registration. The big challenge is on the election itself. Who will garner the largest votes? Will there be flying voters again? Will the dead still be listed on the official list of voters? Lastly, will automation make things easier?

We cannot answer those questions now. But, as for the voter registration stage, I'd have to say that yes, the claims are true. Signing up to be a registered voter is easy as one, two, and three.

**Published in The Freeman Newspaper on October 2, 2012