PERHAPS egged on by the swift passage of the law mandating the extension of the voter registration period, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) yesterday called on lawmakers to give equal attention to other poll reform legislations, among them how to address the loophole on premature campaigning.
In a social media post, Comelec spokesman James Jimenez asked legislators to pass laws that will help improve or update election laws in the country.
“Public pressure drove legislators to pass a voter registration extension law in a matter of weeks. (There’s) a list of other legislations needed,” Jimenez said, adding that among them is the law amending the definition of “official candidate” to address the premature campaigning loophole.
He also said there is a need for a law regulating the use of social media for political campaigning and a law expanding the reporting period for election spending.
Jimenez also pushed for a law expanding the coverage of local absentee voting and a law authorizing the use of internet voting for overseas voting.
Last month, the House of Representatives and the Senate fast tracked the passage of a law extending the voter registration period from September 30 to October 30.
