Ahead of the 2025 midterm elections, it’s time to get on the voter rolls with voter registration beginning this February.
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Ah, February. To many, the second month of the year signals the start of all things love, with Valentine’s Day situated at the heart of the month. But February also signals an important start for Filipinos who wish to do their civic duty as citizens of this country and have their voices heard, the beginning of voter registration. So, if you’re hoping to register to vote, change your voter details, or reactivate your status, here’s what you need to know.
VOTER REGISTRATION 2024
As announced by COMELEC, voter registration will begin this February 12 and last until September 30, making for a nearly eight-month-long period which should give you enough time to get in the voter rolls. As always, if you want to register to vote, you need to head to your local Office of Election Officer (OEO) with your valid ID and the CEF-1 application form, which you can get on COMELEC’s website here.
Offices will be open from 8 AM – 5 PM from Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays. Take note though that voter registration will be paused on March 28, 29, and 30 for Holy Week. During this time, other services, such as reactivation of voter status and transfer of voting precinct if you changed adresses since the previous election will also be offered.
IN YOUR BACKYARD
In an effort to make the process even more smooth, convenient, and accessible for would-be voters, COMELEC will also be rolling out the Register Anywhere Program, or RAP. Running until August 31, RAP aims to bring the voter registration process closer to the people. Instead of taking time out of your day to head to your local OEO office, RAP will see select facilities pop up in malls, universities, government offices, and other private businesses and serve as designated registration sites. And the best part, you don’t need to go back to your home province to register under RAP. RAP sites welcome any eligible applicant regardless of current residence.
Say, for example, you dorm in Quezon City for school, but you are from Cebu. Instead of flying back to your home, you can just register to vote at the nearest RAP site where you currently reside or go to school. First-time registration, transfer of registration, and correction of entries are just some of the services they offer. However, like with the process of registering at your local OEO, you still need to have a CEF-1 form, which should be printed on a long bond paper back-to-back, and a valid ID when you head to a RAP site.
All this will be in preparation for the 2025 midterm elections, which will have voters vote, among other options, 12 new senators, their local congressperson, mayor, governor, and more. You don’t want to miss out on this important exercise in democracy and not have a say on who represents you, do you? So, make a plan as you have until September to do it.
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