Comelec opens voter registration for 2028 polls from Nov. 10 to July 30
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) opened voter registration on Tuesday, Nov. 10, for the May 2028 elections, with eligible Filipinos given until July 30, 2027, to register.
The registration period will allow first-time voters to register, existing voters to transfer their registration records, and those with deactivated records to reactivate their voter status.
READ: Comelec reopens voter registration in November for 2028 elections
To make voter registration more accessible, the Comelec relaunched its Special Registration Anywhere/Anytime Program (SRAP) on Tuesday at Mabini Hall in Luneta Park.
The registration site will operate from Nov. 10 to 12, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The initiative aims to bring registration services closer to the public through activities in schools, malls and other establishments.
The commission will also hold special registration activities at WalterMart Chino Roces on Nov. 19 and the Far Eastern University (FEU) Manila campus on Nov. 24.
Barangay certificates, cedula not accepted
The Comelec reminded applicants that barangay residency certificates and cedulas would not be accepted as proof of identity.
READ: Comelec says barangay residency certificate, cedula not valid IDs
The poll body urged applicants to bring other government-issued identification, such as passports, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearances, police clearances, National IDs, postal IDs or driver’s licenses.
Applicants may also present library cards, student IDs and senior citizen IDs, provided these contain their name, photograph and address, he said.
Meanwhile, the Comelec said in a Facebook post that applicants may also use their electronic Philippine Identification (ePhilID) through the eGov app as proof of identity.
Preparation for 2028 polls
The registration period will also give the Comelec time to prepare for the 2028 elections, including finalizing and cleaning up the voters’ list, printing official copies and allowing candidates to verify the registered electorate.
Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia earlier said the commission also wanted to ensure that those filing their certificates of candidacy were registered voters.
“We want to ensure that those who file their certificates of candidacy are registered voters, so there will be no question about their eligibility to vote,” he said.
READ: Comelec targets 3M additional voters for 2028 polls
As part of its preparations, the commission is also targeting an additional 3 million registered voters, bringing the country’s electorate from 71 million to 74 million before the 2028 polls.
“Currently, we have 71 million registered voters, and our plan is to add 3 million, bringing the total to 74 million voters by 2028,” Garcia said. /mcm
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