Voter registration to start on February 12, 2024 –Comelec

The voter registration period for the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) will start on February 12 and run through to September 30, 2024, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Eligible Filipinos may go to the office of the election officer (OEO) or satellite registration sites in their areas to register to vote from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Registration will be suspended from March 28 to March 30, 2024, for the observance of Holy Week.

To register, registrants must complete a copy of the application form available at the EOE and the Comelec website. 

Registrants must also present one of the following government-issued identification cards (ID) bearing their signature: 

National Identification (ID) card under the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys); Postal ID card; PWD ID card; Student’s ID card or library card, signed by the school authority; Senior Citizen’s ID card; Land Transportation Office (LTO) Driver’s License/Student Permit; National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Clearance; Philippine Passport; Social Security System (SSS)/Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) or other Unified Multi-Purpose ID card; Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) ID card; License issued by the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC); Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) in case of members of ICCs or IPs; Barangay Identification/ Certification with photo; or Any other government-issued valid ID.

Comelec Chairperson George Garcia earlier said the poll body will no longer accept company IDs for voter registration. 

“Bawal na po ang company IDs. Hindi na po natin papayagan ang company ID, dapat po government-issued lamang ang pupwede magparehistro,” said Garcia. 

(Company IDs will no longer be accepted. Only government-issued IDs may be used to register.)

“Ang dami nakita na umabuso. Alam ninyo naman, pwede mag-mass produce ng napakadaming company ID… Di na papayagan ‘yung ganiyan,” he added. 

(We saw a lot of abuses. We will no longer allow it.)

Meanwhile, persons with disability (PWDs), senior citizens (SCs), members of Indigenous People (IPs) or Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs), and Persons Deprived of Liberty (PDLs) may also update their record using the supplementary data form. 

The Comelec said the following types of applications may be filed online until September 7, 2024:

Reactivation only; Reactivation with transfer of registration WITHIN the same city / municipality / district, OR with correction of entries; Reactivation with transfer of registration WITHIN the same city / municipality/ district, AND with correction of entries; and Reactivation with updating of records of SCs and PWDs

At least three million new voters are being targeted by the poll body for the 2025 elections.

Overseas voters

Comelec also reminded Filipinos abroad that the registration period for overseas voters runs until September 30, 2024. 

“Sa mga overseas Filipinos, ongoing po ang registration of voters sa inyo. ‘Yan po ay tatagal hanggang December 2029 na ito. Kaya sana po magparehistro sapagkat magkakaroon na po tayo ng internet voting,” said Garcia. 

(We remind OFWs that registration for overseas voters is ongoing. Their registration will be valid until December 2029. I hope they will register because internet voting will be implemented.)

During the last voter registration, Comelec received at least 2.5 million applications from December 2022 to January 2023. — BM, GMA Integrated News