About 6.3 million registered voters were deactivated after failing to cast their ballot in the last two elections, said Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Rowena Guanzon on Facebook.
If you are one of them though, you need not worry. Since your biometrics are still in the database of Comelec, you don’t have to apply for reactivation in person. Instead, Comelec will send an email to your listed email address this month containing instructions on how to reactivate without leaving your house.
According to Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez, as of Aug. 18, online reactivations were already in full swing.
“System is operational now. Email addresses are on the Comelec website,” he told Rappler.
[READ: LIST: Register to vote at these mall satellite voting centers]Voter registration is only until Sept. 30 and it seems like Comelec is not inclined to extend this period despite calls from the public and lawmakers to do so to accommodate first-time voters, especially in Metro Manila. In NCR, due to enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) and modified ECQ restrictions, voter registration has been suspended twice this year.
Senator Francis Pangilinan, who is pushing to extend the deadline for at least a month longer, said registration timelines from past elections stretched up until October.
“A one-month extension will not extensively hinder Comelec’s preparation for the elections, especially given that voter’s registration was suspended for half a year,” Pangilinan said.
[READ: Not yet registered to vote? Let our heroes teach you how through this comics-inspired website]Over 4 million new voters have registered so far for a total of 60 million eligible voters for 2022 national elections. But according to Pangilinan, there are still 13 million untapped voters.
Follow Comelec’s official Facebook page for updates on operating satellite registration sites around the country.