Comelec urges early voter registration, validation of old registration

Precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machine. FILE PHOTO

MANILA—Don’t wait for the last minute; register early or have your previous registration validated early.

This is the appeal of the Commission on Elections to the public as the continuing voter registration for the May 2016 elections resumes next week.

“Register as early as possible and avoid last-minute registration,” said Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes in an interview.

Voter registration resumes on May 6 and will continue until October 31 next year.

Brillantes reminded new registrants as well as those whose biometrics have not yet been captured to be the first in line when registration period begins.

Biometrics data refers to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his/her photograph, fingerprint, and signature, as captured by the Comelec’s Voter Registration Machine (VRM), which is simply a desktop computer equipped with a digital camera, fingerprint scanner and signature pad.

“We encourage all unregistered qualified voters to register and exercise their right to vote,” he said. “But more importantly, we focus on having the biometrics data of all registered voters by the end of the poll registration pursuant to Republic Act 10367, or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013.”

The law provides that voters who fail to submit for validation prior to the May 2016 elections shall be deactivated from the voters’ list and shall not be allowed to vote.

The Comelec earlier said that there are about 9.6 million registered voters who have been found to be without biometrics data, while three million new voters are being eyed for registration.

In a related development, the Comelec has issued a resolution directing all Offices of the Election Officers across the country to post a certified list of those voters who risk being delisted if they do not have their registration validated under the voters’ registration system.

These include voters without biometrics data as well as those who failed to vote in two successive preceding regular elections, which is also a ground for the deactivation of registration.

Likewise, local Comelec officials have been directed to send personal notice by registered mail to the voters concerned.