WITH voting precincts in the country closing at 3 p.m. today, various and common complaints about missing voters’ names and confusion on the clustering of precincts undertaken by the Commission on Elections appear to mar the conduct of elections.

Voters who have voted in 2004 could not understand why their names were not in their usual precincts - or even in the other precincts – with teacher poll clerks unable to provide satisfactory answers to their queries. Complainants were routinely referred to the Comelec offices in the towns and cities but most voters, exasperated by the confusion and the oppressive summer heat in the voting centers, chose to go home and not vote anymore.

Blame is being heaped on the Comelec’s inability, despite months and weeks of preparation, over its precinct clustering practice that all but jumbled up existing voters’ lists. Affected voters were apparently not pre-informed about the Comelec’s action.

Some have expressed suspicion the Comelec move is premeditated and encourages manipulation of anti-incumbent supporters’ votes, the complainants said. .

In Dagupan City, a report reaching local radio station Aksyon Radyo told of several voters in Bonuan getting surprised when they found out, upon arrival at their precinct to vote, that somebody else had voted for them and signed the poll clerks’ forms.

A local broadcast station also reported Acting Mayor Julier “Ayoy” Resuello as having checked some precincts in Comelec-controlled and trouble spot San Carlos City and drove away some watchers. The San Carlos City Department of Education task force, verifying the report, said the mayor possibly found some so-called watchers around precincts without the necessary papers.

The reports are still being duly verified with the poll clerks in the concerned precincts.