9 million voters have not registered biometrics for 2016 election: Philippine Comelec

The Commission on Elections in the Philippines (Comelec) estimates that there are over 9 million voters in the country that have not yet registered biometrics, and that will need to do so in order to vote in 2016.

Though 2016 is nearly 3 years away, 9 million voters is a significant constituency.

Reported in Rappler.com, Comelec is set to undergo a program in which voters without biometric registration can go to Cemelec offices to have their data collected, before the registration period ends in 2015.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the number of registered voters for the country had exceeded 52 million.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez this total is the highest ever recorded to participate in the country’s elections. According to a report in ABSCBNnews.com, the first automated polls in the Philippines in 2010 saw nearly 51 million voters register.

“It is not a net gain of one million, rather about five million because the (almost) 51 million in 2010 went down to 47 million after delisting,” Jimenez said. “Now it went up again [to 52 million].”

Reported in BiometricUpdate.com, in 2012, Philippine Congress approved a bill requiring all voters in the Philippines to undergo biometric registrations for the country’s 2016 elections. This will entail voters submitting their photograph, fingerprints and signatures for verification.

 

Article Topics

Comelec  |  elections  |  facial recognition  |  fingerprint  |  verification  |  voter registration