The next Philippine election is scheduled to take place in May 2016, and by then anybody wanting to have their vote counted better have their biometrics registered in the national system. The Commission on Elections announced last week that unregistered citizens simply will not be allowed to vote.
And so begins the great Philippine biometric voter registration initiative. The biometric system was first started a decade ago, which is the last time that the list of un-enrolled voters was generated. Because this is a very urgent matter, for the next month the enrollment centers will be working on a modified work schedule, to accommodate non biometric citizens old enough to vote. After this period, the registration will be left to normal workday schedule until October 2015.
Those hoping to register will need to bring a valid ID card or a signed affidavit from a registered voter testifying to their identity.
This full year lead time, though snug, is pretty standard when it comes to biometric voter registration deadlines. Zetes, a provider of voter registration biometric technologies has announced deployments in Uganda meant for use in that nations’ 2016 election.
According to attorney John Paul Cubero, Tangum City election officer, biometrics are now mandatory to eliminate voting irregularities such as double registration. He told a Philippine publication that the biometrics will be saved in the national database of the commission. This way no one can register more than once.
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June 2, 2014 – by Peter B. Counter
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