On final reading, the Senate gave its final nod to prolong the voter registration period for the national and local elections in 2022 until October 31, 2021.
During the upper chamber's session last Monday, September 27, Senate Bill 2408 was approved. The bill was signed by 23 out of 24 senators, with only Senator Leila de Lima, who was unable to cast her vote.
The deadline for voter registration is supposedly on September 30, but senators pointed out the suspension of around 28.3% of the entire registration period in the country due to quarantine restrictions.
The lawmakers urge the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) not to obstruct every Filipino's right to vote, citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that show about 12 million individuals are not yet registered.
In response to the legislative branch's push, the COMELEC announced this Wednesday the extension of the voter registration period from October 9 to October 31.
The extension was officially granted by the Comelec en banc, according to COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez. The voter registration period will be closed on September 30, but it will reopen after filing certificates of candidacy (COCs), which will take place from October 1 to 8.
Meanwhile, there will also be an extension of foreign voter registration for two weeks, from October 1 to 14.
As of September 11, over 63.36 million Filipinos are eligible to vote in the May 2022 elections, including over five million new registrants.
Sources: CNN Philippines and Rappler Philippines
Commenti