EXPLAINER: Voter registration for 2025 elections

MANILA, Philippines—With over 18,000 local and national positions at stake, Filipinos will head to the polls again next year for the much-anticipated midterm elections. Have you registered to vote yet?

On May 12, 2025, voters will head to the polls to elect a new set of lawmakers in Congress, along with provincial governors, town or city mayors, and councilors. A total of 18,721 positions will be up for grabs in the midterm elections.

READ: Comelec: 18,271 local, national positions up for grabs in 2025 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) expects a total of 71 million registered voters for the upcoming polls. As of August 31, the poll body has already received over 5.8 million new voter applications — 3,004,233 from females and 2,827,058 from males.

However, Comelec emphasized that as voter registration for the midterm elections draws to a close, the number of deactivated and delisted voters has increased, surpassing the number of new applications received.

READ: Comelec: Deactivated voters exceed new ones

As the voter registration deadline on September 30 draws near, here’s a guide on what to expect on the final day of registration and how to complete or reactivate your voter registration to ensure you’re eligible to vote.

Last day of voter registration

If you plan to submit your voter registration application on the last day of registration, here’s the scenario you should keep in mind.

According to Section 6 “Last Registration Scenario” under Comelec Resolution No. 10868, the following procedures shall be observed on the last day of registration.

• If, by 3:00 p.m. on the last day of registration, there are still people within a 30-meter radius of the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) waiting to file their applications for registration, the Election Assistant (EA) shall promptly list their names in order.
• Each name will be called three times in the listed order. If an applicant is not present when called, they will not be allowed to file an application for registration, transfer, or reactivation.
• If present, their application will be processed, including biometric data capture, until all listed applicants are processed.
• Any application without captured biometric data will be considered not filed and will not be submitted to the Election Registration Board (ERB).

While Comelec anticipates a surge in the number of voter registration applications to be filed on the last day of registration. However, they strongly encourage new and deactivated voters to register before the deadline to avoid missing their chance to vote in the upcoming midterm polls.

Comelec previously announced that there will be no extension of voter registration after September 30. The poll body would immediately submit the list of registrants to the Election Registration Board Hearing by October 15.

READ: Comelec: No extension of voters’ registration after Sept. 30, 2024

Voter registration

If you are planning to register to vote but are unsure of your eligibility, Comelec clarified that any Filipino citizen who is not yet registered may apply, as long as they meet the following requirements:

Must be at least 18 years old on the day of the national and local elections.
Must have been a resident of the Philippines for at least one year, and a resident of the place where they intend to vote for at least six months prior to the elections.
Must not be disqualified by law from voting.

Those who will register are also required to present one of the following valid IDs:

• PhilSys National ID card
• Postal ID card
• PWD ID card
• Student’s ID card or library card, signed by the school authority
• Senior citizen’s ID card
• LTO driver’s license/student permit
• NBI clearance
• Philippine passport
• SSS/GSIS ID or other UMID card
• Integrated Bar of the Philippines or IBP card
• Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) License
• Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples
• (NCIP) for members of ICCs or IPs
• Barangay Identification/Certification with photo
• Any other government-issued valid IDs

Cedulas (community tax certificates), PNP clearance, and employee IDs will not be accepted.

Registration sites are open from Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., including holidays. The list of registration sites nationwide can be accessed through this link.

For a detailed, step-by-step guide on the voter registration process, refer to this article published by INQUIRER.net: 2025 Elections: How to register

Online reactivation

Unlike the registration for new voters, the Comelec reminded the public that the already extended deadline for the online reactivation of deactivated or delisted voters is set earlier, on September 25.

Registered voters whose status is deactivated should file an online application to get reactivated. Senior citizens and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) can also apply online for reactivation with updating of records.

Data provided by Comelec showed that more than 6 million previously registered voters will not be able to cast their vote next year unless they file for reactivation. These include 5,376,630 voters who are deactivated and 714,152 people deleted from the national list of registered voters.

READ: Comelec removes 5.1 million from list of voters

According to Section 27 of Republic Act No. 8189, the following individuals will have their records deactivated and removed from the precinct book of voters, marking them as inactive:

• Individuals sentenced to imprisonment for at least one year (unless pardoned or five years have passed since serving the sentence).
• Those convicted of crimes involving disloyalty to the government or violations of national security (with voting rights restored after five years).
• Individuals declared insane or incompetent by a court, unless the ruling is reversed.
• Those who failed to vote in two consecutive regular elections.
• Individuals whose registration was excluded by court order.
• Those who have lost Filipino citizenship.

Registered voters can apply for reactivation online by emailing the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) in their respective locality. The email addresses of OEOs by province and region can be found through this link.

Alternatively, Comelec has posted on their Facebook page a QR code that can be scanned for the list of OEO emails nationwide.

Senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) can follow the same process, with the added option to update their records during the application.

Register anywhere program

This year, the Comelec introduced the “Register Anywhere Program” (RAP), an initiative allowing voters to register at any location, regardless of their residence.

Since its launch in January, the poll body has partnered with 170 malls and institutions nationwide to implement the program, which aims to simplify and increase access to voter registration.

The program operates by allowing RAP hosts to set specific dates for when registration stations will be open, with Comelec handling the public announcements of these schedules.

The voter registration period at the designated RAP sites concluded on August 30. Comelec Chairman George Garcia reported that at least 50,000 Filipinos benefitted from the initiative.

With the positive response, Garcia revealed that the poll body plans to expand and enhance the program for future elections by involving more municipalities.

“Because of this strong start, in the next registration, we will expand and improve the program. We’ve already addressed many issues, so we know how to make the RAP better,” he said in Filipino.

READ: Comelec vows to improve ‘Register Anywhere Program’ for next polls