Chapter I
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Election allows the members of an organization or community to choose representatives who will hold positions of authority within it. The most important elections select the leaders of local and national governments. The chance of deciding who will govern at these levels serves as an opportunity for the public to make choices about the policies, programs, and future directions of government action. At the same time, elections promote accountability. The threat of defeat at the polls exerts pressure on those in power to conduct them in a responsible manner and take account of popular interests and wishes when they make their decisions.
Overseas voting, also known as external voting refers to the…show more content… Specifically, the researcheraimed to:
• Determine the role of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) in Overseas Voting;
• Determine the role of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Overseas Voting;
• Determine the problems encountered by the COMELEC and the DFA in the 2013 Senatorial Election in Thailand;
• Evaluate the strategies made by the COMELEC and the DFA to address the issues;
• Evaluate the collaboration between the COMELEC and the DFA in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity; and
• Evaluate the improvements of Overseas Voting after the collaboration in the 2013 Senatorial Election in Thailand
SCOPE AND LIMITATION
The study evaluated the Collaboration between the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in handling the 2013 Senatorial Election in Thailand.
The researcher conducted the study in the Embassy of the Philippines in Bangkok, Thailand, in the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) – Office of the Overseas Voting (OFOV) and in the Department of Foreign Affairs – Overseas Voting Secretariat…show more content… Overseas Voting refers to the process by which qualified citizens of the Philippines abroad exercise their right to vote.
10. Resident Election Registration Board (RERB) refers to the in-house Election Registration Board in every post and in the OFOV, which processes, approves or disapproves all applications for registration and/or certification as overseas voters, including the deactivation, reactivation and cancellation of registration records.
11. Registered Voter refers to a person who has recorded his name in the voting register and is entitled legally to cast a vote.
12. Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) refers to the group constituted by the COMELEC to receive and take custody of all accountable and other election forms, supplies and paraphernalia from the OFOV for transmittal to the Special Board of Election Inspectors and Special Board of Canvassers.
13. Special Board of Canvassers (SBOC) refers to the body deputized by the COMELEC to canvass the overseas voting election returns submitted to it by the Special Board of Election Inspectors.
14. Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) refers to the body deputized by the COMELEC to conduct the voting and counting of