Comelec purging list of those who failed to vote in 2007

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is now in the process of deactivating voters who failed to vote during the May 2007 mid-term elections and in the Oct. 2007 barangay polls.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the public is assured that such move is “above board and actually a part of efforts to cleanse the voters list.”

The poll body had initially stricken out some 53,000 names from the voters’ list in Bacolod.

“The numbers of deactivated voters may appear to be big, but we have to take into account the fact that there were two elections in 2007. So if voters failed to vote in both electoral exercises, the Comelec will have to deactivate them. It’s in the law,” he said.

The proceeding is mandated under Section 27 of Republic Act No. 8189 or the Continuing Registration Act which allows the Comelec to deactivate the registration and remove the records of persons “who did not vote in the two (2) successive preceding regular elections as shown by their voting records.”

The law further stated that Sangguniang Kabataan polls are not considered as regular elections.

“The registered voters who were deactivated from the voters’ list will be immediately notified by mail by the Comelec. We will advise them to reactivate their voters’ registration record as soon as possible so that they may be able to vote in the May 10, 2010 national and local elections,” Jimenez added.

But since the Comelec will be undertaking the continuing registration of voters until Dec. 15, those deactivated will have ample time to apply for reactivation of their registration, he said. – Sheila Crisostomo