Number of listed voters for 2013 polls increase

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – The total number of registered voters in Negros Oriental for the May 13, 2012 elections has increased by at least five percent compared to those registered in 2009, according to Comelec provincial election supervisor Eddie Aba.

Aba on Thursday disclosed that there is an estimated 728,074 registered voters in Negros Oriental as of last count following the approval by the Election Registration Board (ERB) of the Comelec. This is an increase of about five percent or 48,491 registrants over the total 679,583 registered voters in 2009 prior to the May 2010 polls.

However, Aba said the final list of registered voters in Negros Oriental will be made available next week as his staff are still working on “cleansing” the list to avoid the possibility of double registrants in the province.

The number of persons-with-disabilities and the differently-abled will also be known soon after the provincial Comelec office will verify the total number of registrants in this class.

The national government is giving more attention to PWDs in the country that they may be able to participate in the electoral exercise.

Meanwhile, the Comelec in Negros Oriental will be ready by next week to announce the new set of clustered precincts intended to accommodate the new registrants prior to next year’s mid-term polls.

A team from the Comelec regional office had visited the province earlier for an offsite verification of the voting precincts in the province and to determine the actual number of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines for the 2013 elections. (FREEMAN)