‘No vaccine, no vote’ unconstitutional, says Comelec

MANILA, Philippines — Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez on Friday said that the poll body is “unlikely” to require voters to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to exercise their right to vote, saying that such a requirement is “unconstitutional.”

“Unlikely,” Jimenez said in a meeting regarding the elections when asked about the possibility of requiring voters to be fully vaccinated for them to be able to vote.

“Wala dapat [There should be no] additional requirements to exercise their right to vote, that is unconstitutional, I think,” Jimenez added.

A total of 37.3 million individuals in the country are already fully vaccinated against the new coronavirus as of Thursday, according to the national government.

Previously, Jimenez also said that the poll body will not require voters to undergo swab tests as a voting requirement.

However, the Comelec spokesperson pointed out that the poll body will allot a designated area in voting precincts called “isolation polling places” to accommodate voters who will present COVID-19 symptoms on the election day.

READ: Comelec says no alternative voting for COVID patients

The local and national elections will be on May 9, 2022.

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