3m new voters seen to sign up for 16 polls

Few people are turning up at the poll offices to register for the 2016 national elections, but the Commission on Elections is confident the number of registrants will rise in February and March next year.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said more than 3 million new voters are expected to register while at least nine million voters are required to undergo biometrics validation or they could not vote in the 2016 elections.

“Biometrics data refer to the automated identification of an individual, particularly his or her photograph, fingerprint and signature,” he said.

The registration process itself takes less than 10 minutes. It can be done really fast if they are there early enough, if they are there ahead of the crowd you’ll be out in less than 10 minutes,” Jimenez said.

“The only excuse left for the voters is that they don’t feel like doing it right away and that is something we want them to think about, think about what you are standing to lose if you don’t register,” he said.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said voters have to undergo biometrics processing to allow them to vote in 2016.

He said the poll body aims to “get 100 percent of the 9.6 million to do biometrics.”

There are 53 million voters in the country, while 9.6 million have yet to undergo biometrics.

The deadline for the registration is until Oct. 31, 2015, he said.