Comelec Aims to Increase Registered OAVs to at Least 2 M Before 2022 Polls

By Leslie Ann Aquino 

The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is targeting to increase the number of registered overseas voters to at least 2 million for the May 2022 polls.

“Now we have 1.3 million voters and of course the turnout is always lower in midyear elections than presidential elections,” Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said during an event in Manila, Thursday.

And the en banc, she said is more than willing to receive more registrations to “make sure that in 2022 we will reach our registration number by at least 2 million.”

The commissioner-in-charge of the Comelec – Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) said they will be working in partnership with OFW organizations to ensure that they increase significantly the registration turnout.

Guanzon said they are also thinking of ways to improve the registration.

“We are thinking of other ways by which we can improve our registration such as mobile registration which are now being conducted in several posts,” she said.

It was last December 16 when the Comelec resumed the overseas voter registration for the May 2022 polls. It will run until September 30, 2021.

According to the poll body, all citizens of the Philippines, who are abroad or will be abroad during the 30-day voting period, at least 18 years old, and not disqualified by law may register as overseas voters.

Not qualified to register, however, are those who have already lost their Filipino citizenships, those who have renounced their Philippine citizenship and have pledged allegiance to a foreign country, those that have committed an offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year, and any Filipino citizen declared insane by competent authority as verified by the Philippine embassy or consulate.

The poll body said applications may be filed at any post abroad or at designated registration centers outside the post or in designated registration centers in the Philippines.

Source: https://news.mb.com.ph