MERELY 400,000 deactivated voters have sought to cast their votes in the May 2022 national and local polls, according to an official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
In a radio interview, Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon expressed said they are hoping that more deactivated voters will consider reactivating their statuses in time for the next elections.
“Those who failed to vote twice, including the barangay elections, and got deactivated, they are the ones we are reaching out to get registered again,” said Guanzon.
The Comelec has said that there are 7 million registered voters who were deactivated as provided by law.
Under the Voter’s Registration Act, a registration may be deactivated in the book of voters once an individual fails to vote in the two successive preceding regular elections as shown by their voting records.
Comelec has allowed a voter with a deactivated registration record to file for the reactivation of his (or her) registration record with the local poll office of the city/municipality where he (or she) is registered.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) yesterday called on senior high school (SHS) students and personnel of Catholic schools in Metro Manila to get registered for the May 2022 national and local polls saying it is the necessary first step to changing the political landscape of the country.
In a one-page statement, CEAP – National Capital Region (NCR) trustee Fr. Nolan Que said it is necessary for every eligible person to get registered as voters for them to be able to vote for the country’s next set of leaders.
“We call on all Catholic school personnel and all senior high school students of our schools to fulfil their God-given duty and right to vote so that all of us may be able to select the candidate that best fit the duties required on governing the Catholic faithful,” said Que.
“The ballot is a symbol of the foundation of a democratic government, where the people have the right to choose their leaders,” he added.
Similarly, he said it is also their civic duty to help maintain democracy in the country amid the recent threats it faced.
“Democracy is a gift from God. It is our duty as receivers of that gift to preserve and protect the democracy of our country,” said the CEAP official, adding: “Change will only happen if we perform our duties and obligation to our God and our country.”
