Comelec extends deadline for voter registration to October 30

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the en banc have approved the extension of voter registration from September 30 until the end of October. Their office will accommodate registrants Mondays to Fridays 8 AM to 5 PM, no Saturdays except for the last day of registration which will fall on October 30.

However, registration will be suspended from October 1 to 8 and will resume on October 11 to give way for the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) by 2022 hopefuls.

Not affected by the COC filing, overseas voters, on the other hand, can register for an extended time until October 14.

The extension comes after lawmakers, advocacy groups, and even Vice President Leni Robredo appealed to the poll body for an extension, citing the registration days lost due to the hard lockdowns that were implemented in the previous months.

Comelec was initially firm on sticking to the deadline as it may affect the timelines of the election and some operational concerns. But they were forced to enact the extension after both the Congress and Senate intervened and passed House Bill 10261: An Act Fixing The Last Day of Registration for Voters for the 2022 National and Local Elections which was submitted to President Rodrigo Duterte’s desk before September 30.

Over 62 million voters have already registered for the 2022 elections. While this is beyond the poll body’s target of 59 million voters, lawmakers believe that Filipinos might still be deprived of their right to vote as the Philippines Statistics Authority (PSA) projected a voting population of 73.3 million for next year.

Claim your power, register to vote

It is important for Filipinos to take advantage of this extended opportunity to register to vote for the 2022 national and local elections. As we are still going through a pandemic, the leaders who will succeed the Duterte Administration will determine the country’s fate towards recovery and healing from COVID-19.

Cliché as it may sound, every vote cast on May 12, 2022, holds great power and responsibility for the nation. This is every Filipino citizen’s power in the society to make changes in policies, to be a part of decision-making processes, and to build a better future for the next generation—it is a power that can dictate the future of a country and every person living in it in the next six years.

The pandemic has already taken so much from us but there is still hope. Claim your power once again and register to vote.

Go to your nearest Comelec office if you meet the qualifications below and follow the steps to become a registered voter in the Philippines.

Qualifications:

A Filipino citizen.
18 years old on or before election day of May 9, 2022.
A resident in the Philippines for at least one year and a resident of the place in which you intend to vote for at least 6 months.

Registration process:

1. Accomplish the Voter’s Registration form

Fill up a registration form online and set up an appointment through the Commission on Elections’ (COMELEC) iRehistro page. After completing the form, the site will direct you to a page where you can schedule an appointment at your local COMELEC office or Office of the Election Officer (OEO) to move forward with your registration.

Due to website traffic caused by the number of registrants, the portal may sometimes be down. You may still download the application forms. You will be asked to download three (3) forms:

1. CEF-1 – Registration form

2. Annex B – Supplementary data form

3. Health declaration form

Since you will be filling these forms up manually, setting up an appointment with your OEO is not done automatically unlike in online registration. Make sure to call your OEO and schedule an appointment to proceed with your registration.

Remember NOT to sign the registration form and put your thumb marks yet as these actions require to be done in the presence of an election officer.

Meanwhile, COMELEC also recently launched a mobile app where registrants can easily accomplish their registration form and be given a QR code to present to their OEO. However, it is not available for everyone. You can only download the app on android phones and it is only exclusive to COMELEC offices in 575 pilot cities.

This is to prioritize the pilot areas set by the agency where internet connectivity is poor.

If a registrant wishes to download this, they will have to visit their OEO to have it shared with them by an officer via SHAREit. No internet connection is needed when using the app. Just fill up the form and it will generate a QR code.

2. Proceed with your appointment and bring your accomplished forms and valid IDs

Don’t forget to bring your own pen and a photocopy of at least one of the following IDs:

Employee’s identification card (ID), with the signature of the employer or an authorized representative
Postal ID
PWD 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 Regulatory Commission (PRC)
Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in case of members of ICCs or IPs

Tip: It’s better to bring as many valid IDs as you can just to make sure. As you show up on your scheduled appointment, the election officer will collect your registration forms, review them and log them in the Election Registration Board’s system. After this, the officer will capture your biometrics, issue an acknowledgment receipt, and you’re done!

Image Source: COMELEC

Your application is still up for approval so make sure to keep your receipt as you will be contacted to return to the OEO once you’ve been approved.

Every individual’s vote is crucial in determining how our lives in this country will pan out in the next couple of years. So don’t take it lightly. Your vote is power and it is rightfully yours. Don’t let anybody take it, go out there and register and please, don’t forget to follow health protocols.

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