Over 1-M new voters expected to register for 2019 polls

FILE: “We expect, as of now, to register about 1.5 to 2 million new voters,” he said. (PNA photo by Joey Razon)

MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday said it is expecting more than 1 million new voters in the forthcoming May 2019 midterm polls.

In an interview, Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said they are now looking at 1.5 to 2 million new registrants during the three-month period.

“We expect, as of now, to register about 1.5 to 2 million new voters,” he said.

Jimenez noted that this is due to voter registration they conducted in November 2017.

“Remember that this is like a spillover from the November registration that we just had,” the poll official explained.

Voters’ registration for the May 13, 2019 polls is set to resume on July 2 and will run until September 29.

Applicants for new registration, transfer/transfer with reactivation, reactivation, change/correction of entry, and inclusion/reinstatement of records in the list of voters shall all be accepted.

Their applications shall be personally filed at the Offices of the Election Officer (OEOs) of the city/district/municipality, where the applicant resides, from 8 a.

m. to 5 p.m., from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays.

Last year, the poll body expected less than 500,000 new regular voters from the Nov. 6 to 25 registration period.

This resulted in a total of 455,927 persons aged 18 and above, who filed their applications for registration to become regular voters.

Likewise, the Comelec will conduct satellite/offsite registrations during the said period, wherein field officials will go to barangays, public plazas, schools, and other public places to register voters.