Poll body eyes 4 million new voters

MANILA, Philippines — Over four million Filipinos are expected to register for the May 2022 presidential elections, an official said yesterday.

James Jimenez, spokesman for the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said the voter registration resumes today until Sept. 30 next year.

“We expect some 4.3 million to get registered,” Jimenez said.

He noted that a huge number of registrants is expected because the next electoral exercise is the presidential election.

“Whenever it is a presidential election, people are more excited to participate,” Jimenez said. 

He added that the length of the registration period for the 2022 polls was longer than the previous registration.

“This gives us approximately 20 months to get registered,” Jimenez said. 

Qualified to register as voters are those who will be at least 18 years old on or before May 9, 2022, a resident of the country for at least one year and residing in the place where he or she intends to vote for at least six months on or before Election Day. 

Applications for registration, transfer of registration records, change or correction of entries in the registration record, reactivation of registration record and reinstatement of name in the list of voters will be accepted during the 20-month period.

Persons with disabilities, senior citizens as well as members of Indigenous Peoples or Indigenous Cultural Communities and other members of vulnerable sectors may also update their voting records.

The Comelec said applications should be done personally at the Office of the Election Officer of the city or municipality where the applicant resides from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.