Voters registration starts today

This morning, a TV news program reminded the public that the continuing registration of voters for the 2010 presidential elections begins Tuesday (December 2).

The listing will run until December 15, 2009 in all areas nationwide, except for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

Folks, that’s a time period of more than a year for registration. I encourage those who will reactivate their accounts, or the first-time voters, to register as early as possible. Don’t wait for the deadline. Don’t lose your right to vote just because you didn’t make it to the registration. I should know, it almost happened to me two years back.

I was a first-time voter back then and had no idea how elections work. Good thing my professor in Political Dynamics class reminded us to register before the year ends. An application for registration is supposed to be a one-day activity. Mine took three days! The line was so frustrating and chaotic. There were too many people. I think I took pictures that time, I’ll go dig it up if I find time.

Although my experience was a bit of a nightmare, the good side was I was able to witness how eager the people were just to exercise their right to vote. But to avoid my fate, go register as early as now.

The registration would include the use of biometrics data for the purpose of “establishing a clean, complete, permanent and updated list of voters.”

Qualified voters must be “any citizen of the Philippines, not otherwise disqualified by law, eighteen years of age or over, who has resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the city, municipality or municipal district where the proposes to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the election..” (lawphil.net).

However, applicants who are below 18 years old on the day of registration are still qualified to register, provided they reach 18 years of age on the day of the election, May 12, 2010.

And by the way, don’t forget to bring valid IDs (school, PRC, driver’s license, etc.) on your registration. I think one ID would do, but bring as much as you can to be sure.

I bet the youth will make a lot of difference in the upcoming elections. In a Sun Star report, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) chair Henrietta de Villa said that COMELEC predicts that there will be two million newly registered voters from the youth sector.

Change comes in each of everyone of us. Together, we have the power to change our fate by voting in the next elections. I’ll post some stuffs about the 2010 elections every now and then. I’m new to the work force and I keep an 8-to-5 job in a publishing company but I also make sure I do not neglect my responsibilities as a Filipino citizen.