The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has allowed the setting up of polling places in jails this May 10 automated polls in a bid to prevent the disenfranchisement of thousands of inmate-voters.

The Comelec, in a resolution, allowed the setting up of polling places in jails despite an election law provision banning it “within the perimeter of or inside a military or police camp or reservation or within a prison compound.”

The poll body is convinced that to adhere to the strict interpretation of the law would mean the disenfranchisement of thousands of voters.

“The disenfranchisement definitely runs counter to the purpose of election as it will silence the voice of certain people who are not otherwise disqualified to vote,” read the 26-page resolution dated February 23.

The Comelec said jails are not prison compounds, which “consist of large tracts of land.”

“Although jails may, under the present setup, house inmates who are already serving their sentence for minor crimes, jail facilities primarily hold persons waiting or undergoing trial,” the resolution read.

This is the first time in the country's election history that detainees will be able to cast their votes in the upcoming polls.