Plebiscite on the Question of Woman Suffrage

September 30, 1936

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 34

AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE HOLDING OF A PLEBISCITE ON THE QUESTION OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE

SECTION 1. Pursuant to the provisions of Article V of the Constitution, there shall be held a plebiscite on Friday, April thirty, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, on the question of woman suffrage. On said date all qualified women, as hereinafter provided, may vote either in favor or against the granting of such suffrage.

Said Article V of the Constitution shall be published in the Official Gazette, in English and in Spanish, for three consecutive issues at least fifteen days prior to said election, and the said Article V shall be posted in a conspicuous place in each municipal and provincial office building and in each polling place not later than the twenty-second day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, and shall remain posted therein continually until after the termination of the plebiscite. At least ten copies of the said Article V of the Constitution, in English and in Spanish, shall be kept at each polling place available for examination by the qualified electors during the plebiscite. Whenever practicable, copies in the principal native languages as may be determined by the Secretary of the Interior, shall also be kept in each polling place.

SECTION 2. Every female citizen of the Philippines, twenty-one years of age, or over, who shall have been a resident of the Philippines for one year and of the municipality wherein she proposes to vote for at least six months next preceding the plebiscite and who possesses the qualifications required by existing law for male voters, but without the disqualifications therein specified, is entitled to vote in said plebiscite. ESaITA

SECTION 3. The provisions of the Election Law regarding the holding of a special election, in so far as said provisions are not in conflict herewith, are hereby declared applicable to the plebiscite provided for in this Act. Four watchers shall be appointed for each polling place in every municipality by the women's club organized therein, or in default of any women's organization, by the National Federation of Women's Clubs. The same number of watchers shall be allowed to groups or organizations opposed to woman suffrage.

SECTION 4. In specially organized provinces, whenever necessary, the provincial boards shall, under the supervision of the Secretary of the Interior, provide for the formation of election precincts in every municipality or municipal district, shall designate the proper polling places, and shall appoint election inspectors and poll clerks with their respective substitutes.

SECTION 5. The election precincts shall remain as now established, and the polling places shall be the same unless the municipal council or board concerned shall designate a different place on or before April first, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven.

SECTION 6. The existing boards of election inspectors shall meet, for the registration of voters, for the purposes of this Act on April tenth and seventeenth, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, between the hours of seven in the morning and seven in the afternoon: Provided, however, That if upon the stroke of seven o'clock in the evening on either of the two days designated for registration and revision of the list there still remain women who desire to be registered, the election inspectors shall make a list of those present at said hour within a radius of thirty meters from the polling place and shall hand each of them a consecutively numbered card, and upon presentation of said card, the registration of said women shall be permitted after seven o'clock in the evening. Before registering any female voter, the board of election inspectors shall require each registrant to fill out and sign, under oath before said board of election inspectors, an identification card, showing her name in full; her age on her last birthday; her civil status; her citizenship; length of residence in the Philippines; length of residence in the municipality where she proposes to vote; and whether she is able to read and write any native language, Spanish or English. Printed forms for this purpose shall be furnished each registrant. Each election inspector and poll clerk shall receive two pesos for each day of actual service rendered by him as required by this Act.

Women possessing the qualifications of a male voter may be appointed poll clerks for the plebiscite. CaAIES

SECTION 7. All judicial proceedings for the inclusion or exclusion of voters shall be free of charge and shall be filed not later than the twenty-third day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, and shall be finally decided on or before the twenty-sixth day of April, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven. The board of election inspectors shall hold its last meeting on April twenty-eight, nineteen hundred and thirty-seven, for the purpose specified in section four hundred and thirty-nine of the Election Law.

SECTION 8. The ballots to be used in the plebiscite shall be printed in English and in Spanish and shall conform to the following form:

(Commonwealth seal)

OFFICIAL BALLOT

BALOTA OFICIAL

THE QUESTION OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE

is submitted in this plebiscite to the female citizens of the Philippines, in order that they may vote either in favor or against the granting of such suffrage pursuant to the provisions of Article V of the Constitution which reads as follows:

"SECTION 1. Suffrage may be exercised by male citizens of the Philippines not otherwise disqualified by law, who are twenty-one years of age or over and are able to read and write, and who shall have resided in the Philippines for one year and in the municipality wherein they propose to vote for at least six months preceding the election. The National Assembly shall extend the right of suffrage to women, if in a plebiscite which shall be held for that purpose within two years after the adoption of this Constitution, not less than three hundred thousand women possessing the necessary qualifications shall vote affirmatively on the question."

If you are in favor of woman suffrage answer "Yes," and if you are against, answer "No" in the corresponding square.

LA CUESTION DEL SUFRAGIO FEMENINO

se somete en este plebiscito a las ciudadanas de Filipinas para que ellas voten, bien a favor o en contra del otorgamiento de dicho sufragio, por virtud de las disposiciones del Capitulo V de la Constitucion que se lee como sigue:

"ARTICULO 1. Podra ejercitar el sufragio todo ciudadano filipino que tenga veintiun años de edad o mas, sepa leer o escribir, haya residido en Filipinas un año, y seis meses, por lo menos, en el municipio en que se proponga votar antes de la fecha de la eleccion, y que de otro modo no este incapacitado por la ley. La Asamblea Nacional otorgara, sin embargo, a la mujer el derecho de sufragio, siempre que, en un plebiscito que se convocara al efecto, dentro de dos años despues de la adoptada esta Constitucion, trescientas mil mujeres cuando menos, que poseyeren las necesarias calificaciones, voten afirmativamente sobre la cuestion."

Si está en favor del otorgamiento de dicho sufragio, escriba la palabra "Si" en el encasillado en blanco despues de la pregunta: si está en contra, escriba la palabra "No." SECcIH

Are you in favor of granting suffrage to women?

¿Está Vd. en favor de la concesion del sufragio a las mujeres?

SECTION 9. The boards of inspectors shall prepare only three copies of the returns of the plebiscite in their respective polling places on a form to be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior. One copy shall be deposited in the ballot box for the valid ballots and the two copies shall be delivered to the proper municipal treasurer, who shall immediately forward, by registered mail, one copy to the Secretary of the National Assembly and the other copy to the Secretary of the Interior. The Bureau of Posts shall accept and transmit without delay and free of charge all plebiscite returns and any official report or telegram connected therewith.

SECTION 10. A count of the votes cast according to the returns of the board of inspectors will be made by the National Assembly. If the result shows that not less than three hundred thousand women have voted affirmatively on the question, all women who possess the qualifications specified in section two hereof will be entitled to vote in any election which may be held thereafter. In such case, the registration list of the plebiscite may be used in any subsequent election, until revised according to law.

SECTION 11. The sum of one hundred and fifty thousand pesos, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury, not otherwise appropriated, for the payment, subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, of the expenses incurred in connection with the holding of the plebiscite provided for in this Act.

SECTION 12. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: September 30, 1936