Comelec targets 3M new voters for 2025 national and local polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is targeting to register three million new voters for the upcoming 2025 national and local elections (NLE), an official said Wednesday. 

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said the poll body will launch “massive” information dissemination to educate the public on the process and requirements for voter registration.

The poll body earlier said the voter registration for the 2025 NLE may start in February until September 2024.

“Ang gusto natin, ang projection natin na registered voters ay mga 3 million na mapapadagdag sa 68 million na voters sa kasalukuyan,” Garcia told reporters in an interview. 

(Our projection is to add 3 million new voters to the current 68 million voters.)

The Comelec is set to issue amended guidelines for the registration which will include the ban on using company-issued identification (ID) cards to register, he said. 

“Bawal na po ang company IDs. Hindi na po natin papayagan ang company ID, dapat po government-issued lamang ang pupwede magparehistro,” said Garcia. 

(Company IDs will no longer be accepted. Only government-issued IDs can be used for the registration.)

“Ang dami nakita na umabuso. Alam ninyo naman, pwede mag-mass produce ng napakadaming company ID… Di na papayagan 'yung ganiyan,” he added. 

(A lot of people abused this. We will no longer allow it.)

Meanwhile, the Comelec will also expand the implementation of its “Register Anywhere Project”, which allows qualified Filipino voters to register at booths in certain establishments such as malls for the 2025 NLE.

“Ipapatupad na po sa buong bansa sa lahat ng highly-urbanized cities at municipalities or cities na capital ng isang probinsya, ipapatupad na po natin,” he added.

(We will implement this all over the country, in all highly-urbanized cities and municipalities.)

Garcia called on overseas Filipinos to register, saying the poll body will implement internet voting for the upcoming elections. 

“Sa mga overseas Filipinos, ongoing po ang registration of voters sa inyo. 'Yan po ay tatagal hanggang December 2029 na ito. Kaya sana po magparehistro sapagkat magkakaroon na po tayo ng internet voting,” he said.

(We remind OFWs that registration for overseas voters is ongoing. Their registration will be valid until December 2029. I hope they will register because internet voting will be implemented.)

During the last voter registration, Comelec received at least 2.5 million applications from December 2022 to January 2023.—Sundy Locus/AOL, GMA Integrated News