A group of students asked the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to “reconsider” its decision to not move the deadline of voter registration and extend it for two more months.
“Comelec needs to heed the young voters who want the registration to be extended,” said National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) National President Jandeil Roperos after the poll body announced that it will no longer extend the voter registration period beyond the Sept. 30 deadline.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/08/18/comelec-rejects-extension-to-prolong-voter-registration-hours-instead/
“There remain to be some 13 million eligible voters who have yet to register.” Roperos said. “The Commission needs to see that this is a sizable group,” she added.
Given this, NUSP --- together with other organizations --- is calling for the extension of voter registration for at least two more months or until November 30.
NUSP noted that prior to the decision of Comelec, several groups --- including the Union --- have been campaigning for the extension of voter’s registration.
As part of this campaign, NUSP noted that a petition to Comelec had been signed by 157 youth and student leaders and was filed last Aug. 16.
For NUSP, Comelec cannot hope to accommodate the remaining number of people who wish to register but are unable to --- especially in areas that are still under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified ECQ (MECQ).
“The extension of registration hours will be moot if offices remain understaffed to deal with backlogs and if satellite registrations are still lacking,” Roperos said.
Roperos added that it is only right to increase Comelec’s absorptive capacity to register the maximum number of people.
“This is only possible if the commission gives itself more time through an extension of the deadline and expansion of the available machinery for voter's registration,” she said.
NUSP also noted that the problems plaguing the voter registration remains rooted in the state’s overall atrocious response to the pandemic.
“The call for an extension of voter registration is not only an expression of the right and freedom to vote, but it is also vital to ensure the safety of voters and the integrity of the national elections,” Roperos added.