The election’s over, and I’m glad it is. I’m thankful that this one was relatively peaceful and orderly. Most of the tweets and Facebook posts I saw showed people being happy about how fast the whole voting process was. Good job, COMELEC!

COMELEC’s Precinct Finder wasn’t working the night before and the morning of May 13th. I think everyone was cramming, trying to check their precincts at the last minute, myself included. I’m reminded of one of the quotes I often hear on the job: you only look for the information you need at the time you need it. Lesson learned: it pays to check early.

I didn’t know how long it took for me to fall in line, get my form, and submit my ballot—all I know is, it was fast. It took longer for me to wait for the voting to start. My friend M and I arrived at our precinct way before the actual voting began, and it was a fun wait. It helps to have fun BEIs (Board of Election Inspectors).

Here’s a bunch of photos I took to document my experience:

Excited much

I took part in the first official automated elections only three years ago. I never got around wanting to do so when I turned eighteen—I was too cynical then to care. I’m so grateful that I’m part of a church that encourages its members to take an active part in our nation. I made a decision when I was twenty-four to register myself for the coming elections that year—and I never regretted it. I even have the selfies to prove it.

Same pose, different election day

Truth be told, I’m excited about how this year’s elections will unfold. I pray that our newly-elected leaders would be excellent and in every way. I’m grateful that I got to exercise my duty as a Filipino to vote.

Tags: Election 2013, halalan 2013