Voter’s Registration: Who Need to Register, When, Where, Why and How?

Young Filipino men and women who are turning 18 years old on or before the May 9, 2016 national and local elections may now register with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as the 17-month voter’s registration period started on May 6, 2014 and will run until Oct. 31, 2015.

Voter’s registration in the Philippines is the process of filing an application to have a voter’s record at the Comelec in a specific date and designated places set by the poll body.

Aside from new voters, the Comelec said Filipinos who are already registered but do not have biometrics data, those who are looking to transfer registration as well as those whose registration has been deactivated for failure to vote in two consecutive electoral exercises are advised to register anew.

Requirements for new and unregistered voters and those applying for reactivation are the same: the applicant should be a Filipino citizen, at least 18 years old, a resident of the Philippines for at least one year; and living in the place wherein he (or she) proposes to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the May 9, 2016 polls.

Applicants must remember to bring any of the following identification documents for them to be able to register: Employee’s identification card (ID), with the signature of the employer or authorized representative; Postal ID; PWD (Persons with Disability) Discount ID; Student’s ID or library card, signed by the school authority; Senior Citizen’s ID; Driver’s license; NBI clearance; Passport; SSS/GSIS ID; Integrated Bar of the Philippine (IBP) ID; License issued by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC); Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in case of members of ICCs or IPs; and any other valid ID.

The Comelec said that in the absence of any of the above-mentioned identification documents, the applicant may be identified under oath by any registered voter of the voting precinct where he (or she) intends to be registered, or by any of his/her relatives within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity. No registered voter or relative shall be allowed to identify more than three applicants.

It also reminded that Community Tax Certificates (cedula) and PNP clearance shall not be honored as valid identification documents for purposes of registration.

Biometrics registration

The Comelec said that some 9.6 million registered voters have been found not having biometrics captured by the Voter Registration Machine (VRM). These voters should have their biometrics taken or they will not be able to vote in the coming polls as prescribed under Republic Act No. 10367.

The biometrics data refer to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his/her photograph, fingerprint, and signature.

On the other hand, a VRM is a desktop computer equipped with a digital camera, fingerprint scanner, and signature pad attached to it to enable biometrics capture.

Under R.A. 10367 or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, voters who fail to have their biometrics taken prior to the May 2016 elections shall be deactivated from the voters’ list and shall not be allowed to vote.

New registrants

The Comelec is looking to register some 3 million new voters during the registration period. They are the qualified voters who turn 18 years old, the allowable age for Filipinos to participate in the national polls.

Reactivation

Registered voters who did not vote or participate in two consecutive electoral exercises are also advised to check on their registration status as their registration might have been deactivated.

Applicants are advised to sign a form and submit it to the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) in their locality.

Transfer of Registration Record

Registered voters who are looking to transfer registration should sign an application form for transfer or CEF-1B from the local Comelec office and to be filed before the Election Officer of the city or municipality the voter is presently residing.

The transfer either from another or within the same district, from another city or from another municipality at least six months before the May 9, 2016 Synchronized National, Local and ARMM Regional Elections.

On the other hand, if the registration record being applied for transfer has been deactivated, the applicant may also apply for the reactivation of his record with the application for transfer using the same application form.

Meanwhile, those who are disqualified to register are: any person who has been sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment for not less than one year, such disability not having been removed by plenary pardon or amnesty; any person who has been adjudged by final judgment by a competent court or tribunal of having committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly-constituted government, such as rebellion, insurrection, violation of the firearms laws, or any crime against national security unless restored to his/her full civil and political rights in accordance with law; and insane or incompetent person as declared by competent authority unless subsequently declared by proper authority that such person is no longer insane or incompetent.

The voter registration is being held nationwide in preparation for the 2016 national and local polls.

As of October 2013, the country had more than 52 million registered voters.

By Ferdinand G. Patinio (PNA Feature) SCS/FGP/JSD