Comelec encourages aspiring voters to register early

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has appealed to potential voter registrants to sign up ahead of the deadline because the poll body may next open its voters’ registration in February 2027, or before the  2028 national and local elections.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said on Tuesday that the poll body understands the sentiments and complaints of many individuals who were not allowed to register despite lining up, as many Comelec offices stopped accommodating registrations before its closing time.

“We’ll have a long registration period for next year, which may run from February to September. I hope many Filipinos will not wait to register until the last day,” Garcia told reporters in an interview.

READ: Early voter registration cutoffs spark complaints

Garcia explained that some machines could not handle many applications in some registration sites, adding that election officers of local Comelec offices were also given the directive to determine the maximum number of applications they can process per day. 

According to Garcia, while it is true that many Filipinos are busy with their studies or work, some really have the habit of doing things by the last minute. 

“While we want to accommodate everyone, unfortunately, we could not do that,” he added. 

He also said that there will be no extension of voters’ registration for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) this year despite considering it amid the overwhelming turnout of interested registrants. 

However, he said that if the BSKE will be postponed once again, then the poll body will resume its registration for the elections. 

Disenfranchisement?

When asked if the non-accomodation of other interested registrants is considered disenfranchisement, Garcia answered in the negative. 

“If we look at the decisions of the Supreme Court on disenfranchisement, it’s when you registered to vote but were not able to cast your vote” he explained. 

Garcia then said that the complaints they received on the last day of registration will serve as a “learning” lesson.” He cited the overwhelming number of registrants in malls and their opening hours, despite the convenience of the locations. 

“We can do it in a location that can be open earlier so more people can register to vote,” he added. 

Garcia also shared that as the voters’ registration for overseas Filipinos will run until September 30, 2027, the poll body received few registrations so far. He then expressed hope for the poll body to process around 2 million to 2.5 million voter applications for Filipinos abroad. /mr