Comelec switches to ten-print scanners ahead of 2016 elections, 5M voters still without biometric data

Five million voters in the Philippines still do not have registered biometric data, according to the country’s Commission on Elections.

Reported in Solar News, Comelec is making a change to its biometric system to full ten-print scanners, rather than single finger impressions. This has caused a delay in registering biometrics, but Comelec says registration and validation will continue in May.

Reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, the 2016 election in the Philippines is an important one and as many as 52 million voters are expected to turn out on election day.

This isn’t the first time biometric registration has been delayed for the 2016 voter register. In 2013, the Comelec stopped its biometric registration efforts in an attempt to ramp up its workforce.

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.

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.

The voter registration period in the country ends in 2015.

Article Topics

Comelec  |  election  |  fingerprint  |  Philippines  |  voter registration