A Really Long Day

It's been a really long day. I woke up really early to review my list (lol, but serious) and headed to my assigned precinct to vote. I thought that there won't be too many people if I arrive before seven am like the last elections. I was wrong. It seems like there were almost thirty people there, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that the elderly people and some poll watchers were too anxious to vote and decided to take it out on the volunteers. *sigh*

On the volunteers side, they want to explain how this new voting process works, but everyone must take their seat at the "waiting room" first, before they check our names and precinct numbers individually, and while the representatives are still busy preparing at the voting room. However, the elderly people in front of me in the line wanted to hear none from them and can't understand that the other room is not ready yet, so we can just sit inside the waiting room and we will be given a number. They argued with the volunteer at in charge of checking the names; they just want them to let them enter the other room already. Some were very loud and persistent and took those instructions papers and proceeded to the voting room without permission. Then the poll watchers joined in, insisting to the volunteers not to release the instruction materials yet, but it's actually the voters who keep on taking them. *deep sigh*

We were a bit frustrated because it took us an hour before we were let inside the waiting room, and while we were there they continued arguing about every little possible thing to argue about, we just waited until they're ready. But it was amusing that it was the older voters who were more anxious than the first time voters..maybe because they've been so used to the old process and all this 'automation' thing isn't a very comfortable thought. Moving on, there were some who cheated at the lines. Yeeeeahhh. *deeper sigh here*

Once you're in the voting room it's fast, unless you haven't decided on your candidates yet. I got out quarter to nine am and had to rush to work. I needed to work in the morning so I headed to the office right after voting. I arrived at 9:00am, my schedule being 9:00am-9:00pm. I never imagined this shift to be harder..but it was. It practically covered the most active requesting hours and I had to handle too many requests today.

But I'm really happy about today. Though the partial results aren't very promising, and I wasn't able to volunteer for the PPCRV like the last elections, and that slight problem during the first few voting hours, all in all I think this day went well. I am still not very impressed but so far, I can say that things are going better than I had feared. (Don't laugh, I'm being honest here. I like the thought of automation, but unless I see the source code myself, I don't think I'll give my 100% trust on this right away...though I try to give it the benefit of the doubt.) Though I'm not very skeptical of the current results, since, some of them are more or less as expected.

I'm happy because I was able to vote! An friend of mine couldn't vote because her name wasn't on the list despite that she just got her Voters ID, etc. I'm still lucky eh? No, I'm not going to rant about an acquaintance who proudly repeated all day that he did not vote because he doesn't care. And that it won't matter anyway, the Philippines won't change, for him. Anyway I'm glad he didn't because he said he'd have voted Villar just for the heck of it. And he sang Villar's campaign song all day. *deep, deep sigh*

Hai, still awake catching up with the news. My president doesn't seem like he'll win, he's far behind, but oh well. I guess he's not that popular despite his credentials and track record. Anyway I need to sleep now, so enough politics for the day.