Comelec offices must extend working hours on last voter registration day if needed — Garcia

Local Commission on Elections offices must extend working hours to accommodate registrants on the last day of voter registration for the 2023 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, poll chairman George Garcia said Monday.

“Dapat lang ma-extend (ang operating hours) habang may tao, habang may nakapila. Mag-issue tayo ng reminder ngayong  araw sa ating mga registration sites,” Garcia said in a Viber message.

This policy is based on Comelec Resolution 10868, according to poll spokesperson Rex Laudiangco.

Under Section 6(a) of the resolution, if at 3:00 p.m. of the last day of the registration period, there are still persons waiting in line to file their applications for registration within a 30-meter radius from the office of Election Officer, the Election Assistant (EA) shall, without delay list down their names consecutively numbered.

The Comelec has already reached over 1 million new voters for the 2023 BSKE two weeks before the end of the voter registration.

The voter registration for the BSKE started on December 12, 2022 and will end on January 31, 2023.

Registrants may go to the office of the election officer or satellite registration sites in their areas from Monday to Saturday, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The BSKE was supposed to be held in December 2022 but was moved to October 2023.—AOL, GMA Integrated News