Comelec eyes evening voter registration for Dec. 1 BSKE

Inquirer.net file photo

MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is considering conducting voter registration activities at night to encourage more Filipinos to register for the Dec. 1 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

According to Comelec Chairperson George Garcia on Tuesday, the plan is part of the enhancement of the Register Anywhere Program (RAP) set from July 1 to 11.

“We will have an enhanced version [of the RAP]. Before, we have voter registration during the day. Now, the Register Anywhere Program will also happen during nighttime,” he said in an interview.

Garcia said they are looking at holding the enhanced RAP in venues that operate at night, such as airports, seaports, and workplaces.

“It will be register anywhere, anytime so that there will be no reason not to get registered,” he said.

The poll body chief is hoping that the additional registration hours would help them achieve their target of 1 million new registrants.

“That’s a tall order but it isn’t impossible to register one million in only 11 days,” Garcia said.

Aside from new registrants, the Comelec will also accept applications for reactivation and transfer of registration, among others, during the July 1 to 11 period.

Voter registration activities will be held nationwide except in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, as the region is set to hold its first parliamentary elections on Oct. 13.