Address long lines in voter registration

Field offices of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) have been asked to manage long lines in the ongoing voter registration.

Comelec acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said the poll body in an en banc session on Wednesday directed the Office of the Deputy Executive Director for Operations and Election and Barangay Affairs Department to coordinate with all field offices to address long queues and ensure that minimum public health standards are implemented.

Laudiangco said Comelec offices were also asked to enhance offsite and satellite registration for public convenience and safety.

He said the information drive on voter registration should likewise be enhanced.

Laudiangco said the Comelec received 137,363 applications on the first two days of the resumption of voter registration.

In a Viber message to reporters, he said 77,508 of the registrants are aged 15 to 17; 50,113 are between 18 to 30 years old, and 9,742 are 31 years old and above.

Laudiangco said there are 31,957 applicants for transfer of records from other cities and towns; 7,440 for transfer from within the same city or town; 1,548 for transfer with reactivation, and 503 for transfer with reactivation and correction of records.

He said field offices received 1,745 applications for transfer with correction of entries; 11,147 for reactivation; 2,489 for reactivation with correction; 23 for inclusion of record in the book of voters, and five for reinstatement of name in the voters’ list.

The Comelec received 649 applications for transfer of records from overseas voting, bringing the total number of applications to 202,827 nationwide.

The voter registration, which is in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Dec. 5, resumed on Monday and will run until July 23.

Comelec offices nationwide are open for voter registration and other requests from Monday to Saturday, including holidays.