Comelec: Voter registration hours extended until 5 p.m. 

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Extended voter registration hours will be implemented effective Feb. 15 to boost the number of voter applicants for the 2022 elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Sunday.

Voter registration in all Comelec offices nationwide from Tuesdays to Saturdays, including holidays, will be extended by two hours, or from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.instead of the previous cutoff of 3 p.m.

“To help bolster voter registration turnout, the Commission on Elections has increased voter registration hours and set a new and extended schedule of voter registration ahead of the May 9, 2022 National and Local Elections,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in a statement.

Offices of Election Officer (OEOs), meanwhile, will be closed on Mondays instead of Fridays to give way to disinfection, said Jimenez.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez. PHOTO by RYAN LEAGOGO / INQUIRER.net

“However, if the local government unit (LGU) prescribes another day for disinfection and such is within the work week, the OEOs shall also observe the LGU disinfection day on top of Monday Disinfection Day,” Jimenez added.

Comelec offices, however, may still be contacted through official email addresses and social media accounts.

As of Jan. 14, the poll body received 1,117,528 voter applications, short of its  target of 4 million new  voter registrants  ahead of the 2022 elections.

gsg