Comelec goes to the malls

THE COMMISSION on Elections yesterday moved to expand its presence in shopping malls in order to entice voters to register or validate their biometrics data in time for the 2016 elections.

The Comelec signed a memorandum of agreement with SM Supermalls yesterday to allow the poll agency to set up voter registration booths in its 52 branches nationwide.

Details of the agreement would be finalized later, said Comelec chair Andres Bautista.

The election body earlier teamed up with Robinsons Malls for satellite voter registration booths.

With the Comelec booths in convenient and comfortable locations, citizens of voting age have no excuse not to register to participate in the elections, said Bautista.

There are still 4 million voters who have yet to validate their biometrics, a necessity before they would be allowed to join the electoral exercise.

“One of the supposed reasons why people do not validate their bios is because its difficult to go to the election office, and they also say it’s a bit inconvenient both in terms infrastructure, in terms of location,” Bautista said.