Comelec: Nothing wrong with ‘hakot’ for voter registration

The Commission on Elections sees nothing wrong with "hakot" – or politicians trucking in voters – as long as it's for voter registration.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said political parties and potential candidates can organize registrants and bring them to local Offices of Election Officers starting on Tuesday, May 6, until October 30, 2015.

"Mobilizing registrants is okay. We are not prohibiting it. What we are against is the “hakot” during Election Day. For registration, ultimately, our goal is the more people to register, the better,” he said in an interview.

He added those who will organize registrants should also help current voters who still lack biometrics data – there are around 9.6 million – register.

"This is because the youth have more time to do it while registered voters (without biometrics) don’t. That is depressing,” Jimenez said.

The Comelec has said voters who have not submitted their biometrics data will be barred from voting in the May 2016 local and national elections.

Under Republic Act 10367 or the Mandatory Biometrics Registration Act of 2013, voters, who fail to have their biometrics taken prior to the May 2016 elections, will be stricken from the list of voters.

Jimenez is confident that the registration will not produce flying voters because of the Comelec's Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).

“[E]ven if there will be ‘hakot’ voters on election day involving registrants in other areas, they will not be able to vote in another (precinct),” he said.

AFIS is a system that the Comelec uses to cross-match the biometric registrations of voters to eliminate double and multiple registrants. — JDS, GMA News