Inclusion into May voters list until Jan 24, says COMELEC

TAGBILARAN CITY, January 19, (PIA)—Voters who have their biometrics taken but have not been in the active list of voters for the May 9, 2016 elections have only until next week to get their names back on the active list. 

Lawyer and Bohol election supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria said those who have not seen their names on the list of active voters at present can file inclusion proceedings in courts, to be able to vote like any regular voter on the upcoming polls. 

But, those who have validated but could not see their names in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) final list of voters, have only until Saturday, January 24 to get the courts into reinstituting them back. 

Speaking at the Kapihan sa PIA, Atty Labaria added that about 23,659 Boholano voters have been excluded in the list for failure to get their registrations validated through biometrics data updating. 

Inclusion proceedings, or a petition to file for the inclusion of a name in the final list of voters can be filed at the Municipal Circuit Trial Courts, who will decide on the cases especially for those who have satisfactorily complied with the requirements of being a voter.

This however does not apply to those who have failed to register and revalidate their registrations via the biometrics data generation, COMELEC sources said. 

The Mandatory Biometrics Voters Registration Act attempts to generate biometric information from voters as the country’s electoral system steps into the computerized elections. 

It may be recalled that the COMELEC called on all of the country’s voters last year to get their biometrics to be able to vote this May. 

The COMELEC opened the biometrics validation and registration in May 2014, it closed the registrations last October 31, 2015, after over a year of receiving registration updates from voters.

While there were petitions to temporarily restrain the COMELEC from implementing the “no bio-no-boto” scheme, the Supreme Court decided in favor of the COMELEC. 

The COMELEC also said the MCTCs can order them to reinstitute the voter into the list, after hearing out the arguments from the voter. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)