House OKs bill seeking extension of voter registration period on 2nd reading

The House of Representatives approved the bill seeking to extend the voter registration process on second reading.

During the plenary session on Friday, House Bill 10261 or An Act Fixing the Last Day of Registration of Voters for the 2022 National and Local Elections was approved via voice vote.

The substitute bill states that "the last day of registration of voters for the 2022 national and local elections shall be 30 days after the effectivity of this Act."  

Filed by House leaders, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, and Minority Leader Joseph Stephen Paduano, the said bill seeks to compel the Commission on Elections to extend the September 30, 2021 deadline of voter registration until next month.

They said the extension aims to prevent massive voter disenfranchisement brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Comelec had announced that it would convene a management committee meeting amid "public clamor" for the extension of the voter registration period. — DVM, GMA News