Online voter reactivation deadline gets extended

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has extended the deadline for online filing of applications for reactivation to encourage and give more time to the more than 5 million deactivated voters to apply for reactivation. In a resolution promulgated on September 16, the commission en banc gave deactivated voters until September 25 in order "to allow more Filipinos to conveniently reactivate their voter registration record without the hassle of physically going to the local Comelec office." The deadline for online filing of reactivation was originally set on September 7, but due to the significant number of deactivated voters who are yet to apply for reactivation, the commission resolved to extend it. All registered voters who failed to vote in two consecutive elections are deemed deactivated. They can file an application for reactivation online as long as they have complete biometrics at the local Comelec office where they registered. Comelec said that aside from application for reactivation, deactivated voters may also apply online for reactivation with the transfer of registration within or with correction of entries; application for reactivation with the transfer of registration and with correction of entries; and for senior citizens and persons with disability, the application for reactivation with updating of records. Based on Comelec records, 5.3 million voters have been reactivated, and 600,000 were removed from the list because of court decisions and because of death, among other reasons. "That's 6 million voters, and the biggest percentage is from the 5.3 million deactivated voters," Chairman George Erwin Garcia said. At present, Garcia said, there are 66 million registered voters, and the Comelec projected there will be 70 million to 71 million voters in 2025. However, this number may be hard to reach because of the P5.3 million deactivated voters.