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Comelec hopes satellite registration in malls will encourage more people to register
Comelec hopes satellite registration in malls will encourage more people to register
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed hopes that mall registration will encourage more people to register for the May 2022 polls.
"With the registration of voters ending on September 30 in preparation for the May 2022 National and Local Elections, we hope that this additional option will encourage many to register," Comelec Executive Director Bartolome Sinocruz Jr. said during the signing of their Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Robinsons Malls, Monday, July 12.
He said the MoA signing signals the start of the establishment of satellite registration booths in 47 Robinsons Malls across the country.
"With the presence of Comelec registration booths in 47 malls, it is expected that the voter registration experience will be enhanced not only in terms of convenience...thus leading to an increase in voter registration," said Sinocruz.
Registration booths will be established in selected Robinsons Malls in the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon, North Luzon, South Luzon, Central Visayas, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, the Comelec is mulling over the possibility of easing its rules on where satellite registration can be held to allow local poll officials to organize such activities in their respective areas.
"The Comelec may soon relax the rules that even barangays with COVID-19 cases may hold satellite registration. That is still uncertain though," Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Operations (DEDO) Teopisto Elnas, Jr. said.
"We are doing our best to maximize this satellite registration, because, through this method, we can capture all qualified individuals," he added.
Based on current rules, satellite registration sites may only be conducted on Saturdays and on days when the local Comelec office is closed for disinfection.
The rules also provide that the site must be in an area, which is not under any lockdown classification, or those under GCQ (general community quarantine) or MGCQ (modified general community quarantine) but with no reported infections 14 days immediately preceding the scheduled satellite registration.