With only about a month to go until the end of the voter registration period, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has finally made it possible for Filipinos to reactivate their registration records online.
Those who did not vote in the past two elections will have had their voter status deactivated—which normally means that they would have to make a personal appearance at their local COMELEC office to re-register. Recognizing that this isn’t ideal during the pandemic (or, indeed, ever), COMELEC officials have been promising that they would move the process online.
Since the COMELEC databases still have deactivated voters’ biometric data stored, the process could be completed online without having to physically show up at a COMELEC office or kiosk. According to figures released by the commission, there are up to 6.3 million deactivated voters that this process may potentially benefit.
Here are the steps to reactivate voter registration:
- Download the CEF-1 form from the Comelec website and fill up the details. Once done, you’ll have to print out the form on legal size paper (8.5 inches x 13 in)
- Email a scan of the accomplished CEF-1 form and a valid government-issued ID to the Office of the Election Officer in the locality where you are registered (here’s a directory of email addresses for NCR; here’s the list for other municipal offices; and finally the list for provincial offices). Senior citizens, PWDs and PDLs who want to update their records also need a Supplementary Data Form. Remember to indicate the type of application being filed in the subject line.
- Await confirmation from the Office of the Election Officer (OEO) through the mobile number or the email address that you indicated.
After this process is complete, a COMELEC official will reach out and schedule an online interview through Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Viber, Facebook Messenger, or any other platform. If the biometrics are unavailable or corrupted, the voter will be advised to make a personal appearance to complete their records.
Since in-person voter registration is currently suspended in areas under Enhanced Community Quarantine and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine, lawmakers have called for an extension of the registration deadline. However, the COMELEC has repeatedly said that there would be no such extension.
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