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PRIMER ON THE SYSTEM OF
CONTINUING REGISTRATION AND VALIDATION OF
VOTERS' REGISTRATION RECORDS
Question Guide
Questions and Answers
1. What is the system of continuing registration? The system of continuing registration as mandated
by Republic Act 8189 or "The Voters' Registration Act of 1996" is the process
of registering persons who have yet to vote, although they already possess the
necessary qualifications hereunder enumerated. 2. Who are qualified to register? Any Filipino citizen who is: a)
At least eighteen
(18) years of age; b)
A resident of
the Philippines for at least one (1) year and in the place wherein he proposes
to vote for at least six (6) months on or before the May 10, 2004 elections;
and c)
Not otherwise
disqualified by law. A
Filipino citizen who has not reached the required age or period of residence on
the day of registration, but will possess such qualifications on or before May
10, 2004, may register. 3. Who are
disqualified to register? a)
Any person who
has been sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment of not less than
one (1) year, such disability not having been removed by plenary pardon or
amnesty; b)
Any person who
has been adjudged by final judgment of a competent court or tribunal of having
committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted government,
such as rebellion, sedition, violation of the firearms laws, or any crime
against national security; and c)
Insane or
incompetent persons as declared by competent authority unless subsequently declared
by proper authority that such person is no longer insane or incompetent. 4. What is the proper procedure for
registration and what should one bring to the registration center? An applicant for registration shall personally
accomplish two copies of the prescribed application form, which may be
reproduced or photocopied and accomplished even before the applicant goes to
the Office of the Election Officer to apply. He/she will be asked to submit any of the
following: 1. Current
employee's identification card (ID) with his picture and signature and the
signature of the employer or authorized representative; 2. Student's ID or library card with picture and
signed by the school authority; 3.
Postal ID; 4. Senior
Citizen's ID 5.
Driver's
license 6.
NBI/PNP clearance
with picture; or 7. Passport. Community Tax Certificate alone shall not be
honored. After accomplishing the application form, the demographic and
biometrics data of the applicant are captured and encoded by the Data Capture
Software (DCS) operator. A copy of the accomplished form shall be given to the
applicant and another copy shall be retained by the Election Officer. 5. What
are the dates, time and place of filing of application for registration? For (a)
transfer of registration records from one city/municipality/district/Election
Registration Board (ERB) to another, (b) from one precinct to another precinct,
(c) change of name or correction of entry, (d) reactivation of registration
records? a)
For the National
Capital Region (NCR), Cotabato City, Zamboanga City and Iligan City, the
applications for registration, or for any of the above purposes shall be filed
on any day beginning 04 August 2003 to 31 October 2003, including
Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 o'clock a.m. to 8:00 o'clock p.m., at the Office of the Election Officer of
the city/municipality/district where the applicant resides. b)
For the other
regions except ARMM and Isabela City, Basilan, the
applications for registration shall be filed on any day beginning 18 August
2003 to 31 October 2003, including Saturdays and Sundays, from 8:00 o'clock
a.m. to 8:00 o'clock p.m.,
at the Office of the Election Officer of the city/municipality/district where
the applicant resides. 6. Are there any areas where a general
registration shall be conducted? Yes, aside from the general
registration recently conducted in the ARMM region, a general registration
shall take place in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu, Sultan Naga Dimaporo and Tangkal in
Lanao del Norte, and Jaen in Nueva Ecija. 7.
Can an application for voter registration be challenged? Any voter or representative of a registered
political party or watcher may challenge in writing and under oath before the interviewer
any person applying for registration. The challenge shall be attached to the
application form together with the proof of notice of hearing to the applicant. 8.
Are there any other ways of identifying applicants? In the absence of the above documents,
another voter may, under oath, identify the applicant. However, no voter shall
be allowed to identify more than three (3) applicants unless they are immediate
members of his family or a relative within the fourth civil degree of
consanguinity or affinity. 9. What is validation of voters' registration
records? Validation is the process wherein a registered voter submits
himself at a Data Capture Workstation established by the Commission, for the
live capture of his biometrics data. The biometrics data shall be composed of: 1)
photograph of
the applicant as captured on digital camera;
2)
signature of
applicant as captured on the signature pad; and 3)
fingerprints
lifted from applicant's right index, left index, right thumb and left thumb using
Morphosmart. With such a database, the poll
body will be able to compare all voters' registration records nationwide, catch
the double registrants and other cheats and prosecute them in court. 10. What is the
procedure for validation and what should one bring to the validation center? An applicant for validation shall personally
accomplish two copies of the prescribed application form, which may be
reproduced or photocopied and accomplished even before the applicant goes to
the Office of the Election Officer to apply. Unlike an applicant for
registration, an applicant for validation may apply in any of the satellite
offices established by the Election Officer. He/she will be asked to submit
any of the following: 1.
Current employee's
identification card (ID) with his picture and signature and the signature of
the employer or authorized representative; 2.
Student's ID
or library card with picture and signed by the school authority; 3.
Postal ID; 4.
Senior
Citizen's ID; 5.
Driver's
license; 6. NBI/PNP clearance with picture; or 7. Passport Community Tax Certificate alone shall not be
honored After accomplishing the
application form, the demographics and biometrics data of the applicant are
captured and encoded by the DCS operator. A copy of the accomplished form shall
be given to the applicant and another copy shall be retained by the Election
Officer. 11.
Where shall a registered voter file his/her application for validation? Any registered voter may validate
his registration by filing an application for validation at the Office of the
Election Officer of the city/municipality where he resides or at the Data
Capture Workstation established by the Commission for the purpose. 12. When shall a registered
voter file his application for
validation? a)
For the NCR, Cotabato City, Zamboanga City and
Iligan City, the applications for validation shall be filed on any day beginning 04 August 2003 to 12 December 2003, including Saturdays and Sundays,
from 8:00 o'clock a.m. to 8:00 o'clock p.m. b)
For
other regions except ARMM and Isabela City, Basilan, these may be filed from August 18, 2003 to December 12, 2003, including Saturdays and Sundays, from 8 a.m. to
8 p.m. 13. How does one transfer his registration
records to another city/municipality? If a registered voter has moved his
residence to another city/municipality, he/she may transfer the registration
record by filing an application for transfer of registration records at the
Office of the Election Officer of his new residence, within the period
prescribed, provided the voter would have satisfied the six months residency
requirement on or before the May 10, 2004 elections. In support of the application, the applicant
shall attach a certified copy of his current voter registration record. The transfer application is subject to the
requirements of notice and hearing and the approval of the ERB. 14. What if a voter changes his address in the same city or
municipality? Any voter who has changed his
address in the same city or municipality shall file an application within the
period provided herein. If the change
of address involves a change in the precinct assignment, the Election Officer
shall assign the applicant to the precinct comprising his new residence. 15. What if a voter undergoes a change of name? Any registered voter whose name has been changed by reason of marriage or court order or by order of the Civil Registrar or Consul General may file with the Office of the Election Officer an application for change of name and sworn written request that his/her registration in the list be recorded under his/her own name. In support of the application,
the applicant shall submit a certified true copy of the marriage contract or
court order or order by the Civil Registrar or Consul General, as the case may
be. The request shall be subject to the approval
or disapproval of the ERB. If the
request is disapproved, the EO shall likewise notify the voter of such
disapproval. 16. Is there any ground for
the cancellation of registration of a registered voter? Yes. The registration records of those who have
died, as certified to by the Local Civil Registrar, shall be cancelled. 17. What are the grounds for deactivation of
registration? The Election Registration Board
(ERB) shall deactivate and temporarily remove the registration records of the
following voters from the corresponding precinct book of voters: 1) Those
who have been sentenced by final judgment to suffer imprisonment of not less
than one (1) year, such disability not having been removed by plenary pardon or
amnesty. Provided, that any such person shall automatically reacquire the right
to vote upon the expiration of five (5) years after service of sentence as
certified by the clerk of court of the Municipal/Municipal
Circuit/Metropolitan/Regional Trial Courts or the Sandigan Bayan; 2) Those
who have been adjudged by final judgment of a competent court or tribunal of
having committed any crime involving disloyalty to the duly constituted
government, such as rebellion, sedition, violation of the firearms laws, or any
crime against national security unless restored to their full civil and
political rights in accordance with law; Provided, that such person shall
automatically regain his right to vote upon the expiration of five (5) years
after service of sentence; 3)
Those declared
by competent authority to be insane or incompetent; 4)
Those who did
not vote in the immediately preceding two (2) successive regular elections as
shown in the voting records; 5)
Those ordered
excluded from the list of voters by the court; and 6)
Those who have
lost their Filipino citizenship. The records of the said
persons shall be placed, properly marked and dated in indelible ink in the
inactive file after entering therein the cause/s of deactivation. 18. What remedy shall a
voter take if his registration is deactivated and intends to vote for the 2004
election? Any voter whose
registration has been deactivated may file an application for validation
accompanied by a sworn affidavit for reactivation of his registration stating
that the ground for the deactivation no longer exists within the period
prescribed herein 19. Can an illiterate or
disabled person apply for registration/validation? Yes, provided that
he possesses all the qualifications and none of the disqualifications of a
voter. He may be assisted in the preparation of his application form by a
relative within the fourth civil degree of consanguinity or affinity, or if he
has none, by any person of his confidence who belongs to the same household, or
by the interviewer. However, an assistor cannot assist more than three (3) illiterate/disabled applicants except when the assistor is the interviewer. All assistors must be of voting
age. 20. Will every COMELEC
office in a city/municipality have a
data capture workstation? Ideally, a city/municipality
should have one data capture workstation equipped with a data capture machine.
However, the Commission has decided that it would be most beneficial to
concentrate the deployment of DCMs in densely populated areas or where there is
a heavy concentration of transient applicants for registration/validation. 21. Can a registered voter who failed to
validate his/her registration record
vote on election day? Yes, he/she may. But
those who fail to validate their registration shall be included in a separate WATCH LIST
to be prepared by precinct by the Office of the Election Officer. If the names
were found to be not known in the community, the EO shall file exclusion
proceedings. In all cases, the local heads or representatives of the political
parties shall be furnished with copies of the watch list and those for
exclusion. 22. In case there is no Data Capture
Machine, where will the registration be undertaken? In cities/municipalities where there are no data capture machines, there will be no validation, but there will be registration and filing of applications for transfer of registration records, change of name, correction of entry, reactivation of registration records, deactivation of registration records and cancellation of registration.
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