Low voter registration in W. Visayas

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

Voter’s registration in Region 6 has been dismal amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Commission on Elections-Region 6 (COMELEC-6) said in a press conference Tuesday.
COMELEC-6 held the press conference to kick off the new work week for voter registration, which will now run from Tuesdays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8AM to 5PM.
COMELEC-6 Regional Director Atty. Dennis Ausan said that since the resumption of voters’ registration on September 1, 2020 to February 11, 2021, they only recorded 72,231 new registrations.
The poll body is eyeing 400,000 new registrations in the region by the end of the registration period on September 30, 2021.

Ausan said the current number is less than 25% of their target registrations.

Voter registration stopped last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resumption was also moved several times because of health safety concerns related to the said pandemic.

Ausan cited two outstanding factors for the low numbers: the COVID-19 pandemic and the usual 11th hour influx of voter registrations, which they previously hoped to be allayed by fears of the pandemic.
“As of Feb. 11, 2021, for the entire region we have had 72,231 registrants. We are supposed to have around 400,000 registrants by September 30, 2021. So far, we haven’t reached 25%. Of course, the factors which were really common for this time are the challenges brought about by pandemic and of course still the complacency of our friends out there to wait to the last hour to go to the election offices and have themselves registered,” Ausan said.
He said that these factors also urged the COMELEC to come up with the new work week scheme.

“Considering the challenges that we are now having, including the pandemic, and of course the shortness of the remaining number of months up to the last days of registration on Sep. 30, the commission thought it very prudent to come out with this scheme to increase the number of registration going to September. One thing that was considered was to change the work, from Monday to Friday, to Tuesday and Saturday, only to accommodate our friends out there who cannot submit themselves for registration from Monday to Friday,” he explained.
Former COMELEC Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who also attended the press conference, said people who have not registered “do not have any reason not to register”.
“People go to restaurants, to supermarkets, to malls and parks. If they can go to these places, they can definitely go to their local COMELEC office to register,” Larrazabal said.

Those who are eligible to vote in the 2022 National and Local Elections may register with their local COMELEC office.

They must bring any government-issued ID which indicates their date of birth and residential address.
If their IDs do not indicate any date of birth or address, they may also bring other proof which reflect these details.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those registering are encouraged to bring their own pen, and are advised to always wear their face masks and face shields inside the COMELEC office and to observe physical distancing.