6.3 Million Deactivated Voters Can Apply for Reactivation Online: Comelec

Some 6.3 million voters who have been deactivated for failing to vote in two consecutive elections need not to apply for reactivation in person as it will soon be done through email, a Commission on Elections official said Wednesday.

Comelec Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said the reactivation of voters through email would be done this August.

"Their biometrics are still in the database of the Commission on Elections, hence they need not apply for reactivation in person," she said in a Facebook post.

On Twitter, Guanzon also said the Comelec En Banc approved the reactivation of persons with disabilities and senior citizens who failed to vote in two consecutive elections.

"Reactivation through email and oath before the election officer through video," she added as she advised the public to wait for the details of the procedure.

Voter registration in areas under ECQ and MECQ, including Metro Manila, are currently suspended.

To make up for the lost days, the commission said it was studying the possibility of extending the voter registration period, which is scheduled to end on Sept. 30.

The Comelec was targeting to reach at least 61 million voters for the upcoming 2022 elections. As of early July, the commission reported that a total of 60 million voters were registered.