THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to conduct voter registration activities during the night when it resumes next month, Elections chairman George Garcia said yesterday.
In an interview, Garcia said they will implement an “enhanced” version of the Register Anywhere Program (RAP) from July 1 to 11 for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) set on December.
“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,” Garcia said.
The poll chief said they intend to bring 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,” Garcia said.
He said the plan would help the Comelec meet its target to register one million individuals during the 11-day period.
“That’s a tall order but it isn’t impossible to register one million in only 11 days,” he said.
Voter registration activities will be held nationwide, except in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), where it has been suspended due to the scheduled Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) on October 13.
The Voter Registration Act prohibits the conduct of voter list-up activities within 120 days before the conduct of regular elections, and 90 days before special elections.
The 2025 barangay and youth elections will be held on December 1.
Under Comelec Resolution No. 11132, the poll body set voter registration and applications for membership to the Katipunan ng Kabataan (KK) from July 1 to 11, 2025.
The last day to file opposition for the application for voter registration and KK members will be on July 21.
The Comelec has set July 28 for the approval or disapproval of applications for voter registration and membership to the KK. The the list of approved and denied applications shall be posted within five days from the decision.
On the other hand, the last day to file requests for transfer/change/correction of name/address of voting centers/ polling precincts is set on August 8.
The last day to file petition for inclusion of voters is on August 18, while the last day to file petition for exclusion of voters is on August 26.
The Comelec has set August 28 as the last day for the Election Registration Board (ERB) meeting to certify the list of voters and approval of abatement process in the VRS database.
It also set August 28 as the last day for ERBs, citizen arms, civic organizations to verify, certify, and seal the list of voters for the BSKE.
September 2 has been set as the last day of posting of the BSKE certified and final computerized voters’ list.
