Poll Exec Urges Voters to Get Biometrics Early

An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu has reminded voters to have their biometrics taken early to avoid the last minute rush for the 2016 elections.

Lawyer Ferdinand Gujilde, Comelec-Cebu elections officer, urged registered voters not to wait for the last minute to have their biometrics taken.

Otherwise, they have to deal with long queues, a scenario which, Gujilde said, usually takes place days before or on the deadline.

Republic Act 10367, the law on mandatory biometrics voter registration, states voters who fail to submit their biometrics data will be deactivated from the voters’ list and not be allowed to vote.

Gujilde said registered voters with none or incomplete biometrics had been notified through letters sent to them individually last year.

He said some may have failed to respond to the call either because they no longer live in the residences where the letters were sent, have “lack of interest,” or are just procrastinating.

Those registered voters who want to have their biometrics taken, as well as those who will apply for registration, only need to go to visit the Comelec office, Gujilde said.

Registration of voters for the 2016 national and local elections, which resumed May last year, will end on October 31 this year.

As of last January 19, Cebu had 2,481,068 total registered voters.

Of this number, at least 173,000 have none or incomplete biometrics.

In Cebu City, 32,891 of its 565,150 registered voters have none or incomplete biometrics. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS