The Gist

THE TIME HAS COME: COMELEC SAYS #MAGPAREHISTROKA

Starting today, if you are turning 18 on or before election date, pegged some time in May 2022, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is resuming voter registration, except in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or Modified ECQ. Here's everything you need to know.

PAULINE NACAR / 1 September 2020

If you are turning 18 on or before election date, pegged some time in May 2022, please note that the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is opening its office again today, September 1, 2020, to resume voter registration operations, except in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) or Modified ECQ. Offices in these areas will immediately resume operations as soon as the lockdown level is eased up to General Community Quarantine.

 

Eligible voters can visit their nearest Office of the Election Officer (OEO), while following new safety protocols in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. The offices are accepting registrants every Tuesdays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8:00 AM-3:00 PM.

Here’s what you need to remember before falling in line at the office:

Download the CEF-1 registration form from the COMELEC website, and print three copies on a long bond copy paper (8.5″x13″), not A4 or legal size. (attach PDF if possible)

2. Fill out the forms manually but DO NOT sign yet. The signature must be affixed before the officer.

Prepare at least 1 of the following valid IDs:

Bring your own pen, and make sure to wear a face mask and a face shield to enter.

Fill out the Health Declaration Form.

Follow the safety protocols and social distancing regulations inside the office.

Await approval from the Election Registration Board (ERB) which will determine the validity of all voting applications.

With this, the COMELEC is also rolling out a #MagpaRehistroKa campaign to encourage new voters to practice their right to have a voice in the coming elections. Of course, as part of a democratic government and society, we as Filipinos have a duty to cast our vote and influence the course of leadership in our country. This is even more crucial now as we face turbulent times in and out of the pandemic, and we’ve seen how some of our elected officials lead in this time of crisis.

A full list of registration centers in NCR has also been released by the COMELEC to connect registrants to their nearest OEO stations:

Posted by COMELEC on Wednesday, 2 September 2020

However, as the youth gears up to prepare their documents for registration and as we write this story, the COMELEC website is currently down, which the office has not yet commented on. Several cities have also issued an emergency disinfection, temporarily closing offices for a few days:

Quezon City

Parañaque City

Posted by COMELEC on Monday, 31 August 2020

Hopefully, all of these initial issues will be resolved in the shortest time possible as so many of the youth and unregistered adults are looking forward to becoming an official Philippine voter, and making a change for progress, in their own way.