The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) have accumulated the most frequently asked questions concerning voter registration. These are questions which have been asked over the years over the phone or by e-mail.
These are general answers to the listed questions. For more specific queries on voter registration, please send an e-mail to the Election and Barangay Affairs Department (EBAD) at [email protected] or give them a call at telephone number (02) 525-9298.
1. What is voter registration?
Registration refers to the act of accomplishing and filing of a sworn application by a qualified voter before the Election Officer of the city or municipality, where the applicant resides, and including the record in the book of voters upon approval by the Election Registration Board. To read more, please follow this link.
2. Why should I register myself as a voter?
If a person is not a registered voter, he cannot vote in an election. This means that you cannot participate in choosing who your next public officials will be. You also would not be able to run for public office if you are not a registered voter.
3. What are the requirements for registration?
The basic requirements for any Filipino citizen to register as a voter are simple: he must be at least 18 years old, and a resident of the Philippines for at least one year and of the city/municipality wherein he intends to vote for at least 6 months prior to an election. There are also certain disqualifications prescribed by law which you should not possess. To read more, please follow this link.
4. Where should I go to register?
By law, filing of applications for registration shall be conducted at the Office of the Election Officer (OEO), your local COMELEC office. That happens during regular office hours.
The COMELEC has allowed the setting up of at least one satellite registration center for every barangay. There are also satellite registration centers for Person with Disabilities (PWDs), Indigenous Cultural Communities (ICCs/IPs), Senior Citizens (SCs) and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), subject to certain conditions.
5. How often do I need to register?
Under the present system of continuing registration, a qualified person needs to register only once. This registration is permanent, unless declared otherwise by law. Registering more than once constitutes an election offense.
However, in cases when a voter transfers residence, he needs to apply for the transfer of his registration record.
There are also instances when a registration record may become deactivated due to some reasons stated by law, the most common of which is the failure to vote in two successive regular elections. When this happens, the concerned voter needs to apply for the reactivation of his registration record.
6. I am already a registered voter. I voted in the last Elections. Do I need to register again in order to vote in the 2020 Barangay Elections?
NO. As stated in the previous FAQ, registration needs to be done only once. Your registration is good for further elections as long as you keep it active by participating in the elections by voting.
If your registration record gets deactivated, that’s another story.
7. When is the next schedule for voter registration?
By law, any qualified registrant may file an application for registration on any day until 120 days before a regular election and 90 days before a special election.
However, for operational and logistical reasons, the COMELEC schedules the period for the conduct of this activity before a scheduled election. For the 2020 Barangay Elections, it has been scheduled to take place from 1 August 2019 to 30 September 2019.
8. How can I change my civil status in my registration record?
Voters who have gotten married after registering as a single person, or married voters whose marriage has been annulled or declared a nullity by a competent court, including those married voters whose spouses have died, may apply for a correction of entry in their registration voters.
Concerned female voters whose family name may have been affected by such events may also file for a change of their name in their registration record.
9. My registration record/voter ID has typographical or clerical errors. How do I go about having the incorrect information corrected?
A registered voter whose registration record contains incorrect entries, including wrong or misspelled name, birth date, birth place or typographical errors, may request for its correction at the concerned local COMELEC office.
10. I have already moved residence to another city/municipality. How do I transfer my registration record to my new place of residence?
During the scheduled registration period, an application for the transfer of the concerned registration record may be filed with the local COMELEC office of the new place of residence.
11. If a record was deactivated, how can a voter have it reactivated again?
During the next scheduled registration record, a voter with a deactivated registration record may file for the reactivation of his (or her) registration record with the local COMELEC office of the city/municipality where he (or she) is registered.
Source: comelec.gov.ph
If a record is deactivated and the voter wants it reactivated but said voter has already transferred residence, should they file for reactivation where they were first registered or should they file it in the city they are are currently residing?
File in the city where you are currently residing.