Important Philippine voter registration information
Philippine voters – old and new – need to get to their local barangay halls as soon as possible. It’s not difficult: according to the Commission on Elections website (side note: they also have a blog on WordPress! *stifles a laugh* Great blog software choice! WordPress is LOVE!), all you need to do to register is go to your local barangay hall and look for the Election Office. Registration is ongoing until October 2009, but don’t delay until the last minute. Go as soon as you can.
RA 8189 contains all the information you need to know about registration as a first-time voter. Click here and review the information, especially Section 10, if you’re a first-time Philippine voter.
Are you already registered? You need to go anyway. If you’re already registered, you still need to go to the Election Office at your local barangay hall and update your information, including your biometrics information. There’s a Find a Precinct function on the Comelec website that helps you track where you’re registered. I tested it and my information popped out just like that. I tested the information of my mother, who was disenfranchised last election, and found it missing. This is why you need to go and re-register or update your information. There are biometrics options now for an updated Voters’ ID, so you really need to go. SOON.
Are you registered elsewhere? I now reside in Quezon City – on the fringe of Caloocan – and need to register a change of residence from my original precinct registration in beautiful Paranaque City. According to Section 12 of RA 8189, “any registered voter who has transferred residence to another city or municipality may apply with the Election Officer of his new residence for the transfer of his registration records. The application for transfer of registration shall be subject to the requirements of notice and hearing and the approval of the Election Registration Board, in accordance with this Act. Upon approval of the application for transfer, and after notice of such approval to the Election Officer of the former residence of the voter, said Election Officer shall transmit by registered mail the voter’s registration record to the Election Officer of the voter’s new residence.” (Emphasis mine)
If you want to register a change of residence, you need to do it NOW. Don’t wait until the last minute, or you may never get your new voters’ registration record. (Some people call the Philippine Post Office “snail mail,” and I don’t blame ‘em.)
Based on this Philippine Daily Inquirer article, several groups are coming together to encourage people to register to vote for the 2010 national elections. The “RV,” which I think is a bus with a “Register and Vote!” insignia on the side, will make its first pit stop at the Market! Market! Terminal parking lot. So Taguig residents and youth who would like to vote can learn more about how to do it this Monday. This is one of the more important things you can do for yourselves, your children, and your country.
Can I still vote if I don’t have biometrics? Yes. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that “registered voters who haven’t had their biometrics captured need not panic. They can still vote in 2010 as long as their names are in the computerized voters’ list (CVL).” Click here to see if you’re active.
Do you have any questions about voting in your area? Post them in the Comments. Hopefully, people from Comelec will find their way here and address your concerns.
