Have you registered as a voter in the Philippines? Usually, we overlook voter’s registration if we’re too busy to find time for it.
But it quite easy and takes just an hour or two— just keep away from doing it on the last day of registration when local Commission on Elections (COMELEC) offices which often get jampacked with last-minute registrants.
We’ll give you here the information that you need to help you through voter registration in the Philippines.
Contents
What’s Voter’s Registration?
Voter registration is the method through which a certified voter fill-up their personal info in a sworn application in front of an election officer of the city, town, or municipality where the voter lives. Upon approval by the Election Registration Board, the applicant’s file gets added to the book of voters.
It’s a requirement for any Filipino who wants to vote, besides those that plan to run for public office.
Who Can Register as a Voter within the Philippines?
You’re certified to register as a voter within the Philippines when you meet all these eligibility requirements:
- Filipino citizen who has registered in COMELEC
- Minimum of 18 years old in the upcoming election
- Fort next Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections: Minimum of 15 years old, however not older than 30 years old.
- Residing within the Philippines at the very least 12 months within the city or municipality where you plan to vote, six months before an election
Voter’s Registration 2019 application Steps
1. Go to the Local COMELEC Office
The COMELEC mandates all Filipinos that they register for their application and go to the local COMELEC office in the metropolis or municipality they presently live. Usually, the office is inside or close to your city or municipal hall.
When you don’t know the place of your local COMELEC office, chances are you’ll find it from the listing on the COMELEC official site.
Voter’s Registration Schedules
Voter’s registration is not held every month—it often happens several months before an election. So pay attention to the registration dates to keep away from missing the deadline.
Local COMELEC offices registration allow voter’s registration usually on Mondays to Saturdays (together with holidays) from eight a.m. to five p.m., primarily based on these schedules:
For the 2020 Barangay and SK Elections: August 1, 2019, to September 30, 2019
For 2022 Nationwide and Local Elections: July 6, 2020, to September 30, 2021, apart from December 25, 2020 (Christmas Day), April 1, 2021 (Maundy Thursday), and April 2, 2021 (Good Friday)
2. Current Valid ID
At the COMELEC office, go to the queue for submitting the documents for voter’s registration.
Voter’s Registration requirements in COMELEC accepts any of the following IDs for registration:
- Employment ID
- Driver’s License
- IBP ID
- NBI clearance
- Passport
- Postal ID
- PRC ID
- PWD ID
- Faculty ID or library card (for college students)
- Senior Citizen ID
- SSS/GSIS ID/UMID
- Certificates from the Nationwide Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP)
Other valid ID’s with your picture and signature (apart from cedula and police clearance)
The election officer will look at your ID to confirm your identity, place of residence, and voter’s registration on the government database.
Tip: Bring ID that exhibits your present address.
If the address in your ID is in another location than the town or municipality the place you’re currently living, the officer will ask for one more ID that signifies your up-to-date address. When you don’t have one, they will probably deny your application.
They require an extra supporting doc for other circumstances:
- For candidates turning 18 years before the upcoming election day- Authentic photocopy of birth certificates
- To correct voter’s data: Authentic and photocopy of birth certificates or marriage certificates, whichever is relevant
- To change voter’s registration file from another area: Proof of present residence (similar to an ID that shows your address)
3. Fill Out the Voter Registration Application Type
As soon as your verification is complete, the election officer will give you three copies of the voter’s registration that need to be accomplished.
To save lots of time, chances are you print three copies of the voter’s registration application from the COMELEC site.
Fill them out, however, your signature and thumb marks need to be fulfilled in front of the election officer throughout your voter’s registration.
Tip: Ready your taxpayer identification or TIN card,.
Submit your completed voter’s registration application to the designated officer, who will review it.
4. Have Your Biometrics Captured
In case they approve your application, you’ll proceed to the biometrics.
Line up in the queue to have your picture taken. Look straight on the webcam till the flash seems. You can ask the operator to look at your image, to know if it’s captured appropriately.
Subsequently, go to the fingerprints area. On the fingerprint scanner, place your right and left thumbs and index fingers one by one. The operator will guide you on how to do it correctly.
Last, go to the queue for the signature capture. You need to sign on the signature pad, much like the way you sign on paper. Verify on the computer to see if you’ve signed appropriately. You might repeat this step several times in case they can’t capture your signature correctly.
5. Await Your Acknowledgment Receipt
After you’re accomplished your biometrics, they’ll request that you write your name and sign on a logbook. They would then issue an acknowledgment receipt.
Don’t expect that you’ll get a voter’s ID to be issued immediately. Recently, the COMELEC has stopped issuing this ID with the plan for the issuance of the national ID system.
With this step, you aren’t a registered voter yet. Your application will need approval by the Election Registration Board (ERB). The ERB will check your data in the master voter’s list of your city, district, metropolis, or municipality.
Conclusion
Accomplish voter registration as soon as possible. If you’re already a registered voter, you shouldn’t register every time there’s an upcoming election.
It is advisable to apply for reactivation of your voters’ registration file in case you didn’t vote in two previous elections. COMELEC places you on their deactivated voter’s registration list.
Whenever you transfer to a new city or town, it is best to apply for a change of voter registration file on the local COMELEC office of your new place of residence. In doing so, you need not go far to get to your previous place every election.
Likewise, those that got married after registering as a single person (together with ladies who wish to use their husband’s surname) and others who’ve changed their civil standing need to file for a correction of their voter’s registration file.
For more information, you can visit Official Comelec Website
