Comelec eyes 1.5-M new voters in the 10-day registration

The CommissioN on Elections (Comelec) is looking at some 1.5 million voters during the 10-day registration period which started Wednesday.

Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said they still expect the number of registrants to reach more than a million.

“The registration for regular election involves those who are already 18 years old and those who failed to register in the last May election,” he said.

The poll official said the figure is achievable as he cited the number of registrants that registered during the five-day extension period last December 2009 with some 300,000 applicants.

On Wednesday, the registration process for the barangay elections started in all Offices of the Election Officer (OEO) nationwide.

The registration will be from Monday to Sunday from 8 am to 7 pm, until August 13.

Meanwhile, the first day of registration reported to be a lull, as only a handful of applicants availed of the opportunity to register.

“We have not changed. First day. Unfortunately, only a few register,” he said.

However, he noted the initial day should not be a gauge for the course of the registration.

“Still, we will continue to call on qualified voters to register early,” said Jimenez.

Comelec data showed that in the last May 10 polls, there were a total of 50,850,938 registered voters in the country. (PNA thru PIA 3)