Comelec ends registration with 2.59 million new voters

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) logged almost 2.6 newly-registered voters on Saturday, the last day of voter registration.

The exact figure is 2,593,909, according to Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco.

The figure is broken down by age as follows:

• 1,615,144 are 15-to-17-year old
• 840,085 are 18-to-30 year olds
• 138,680 are 31 and above

Laudiango asked the registrants for understanding for the long lines at Comelec offices and satellite list-up centers.

According to him, the Voters Registration Act of 1996 prohibits registration 120 days before an election.

July 23 is the last day for voter registration for the Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay elections set for Dec. 5.

The 120th day before Dec. 5 is Aug. 7.

Laudiangco said the posting of voters’ applications would only be allowed until July 25 and the last day to submit opposition to the voters’ application would only be accepted until July 28.

The registration board hearing for all kinds of voters’ registration applications begins on Aug. 1. These includes transfer, reactivation, reinstatement, inclusion, overseas to local, and correction or change of entries)

Because of this, Comelec only has four days left or from Aug. 2 to 6 to arrange the established precincts, split or create new precincts, subject all applications to the automated fingerprint identification system and approve the project of precincts.

“That’s why we need to end the registration on this day — so we could undertake and finish every process in accordance with the law,” Laudiangco said in Filipino.

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