By Sydney Antoinette Alipao

PHOTO: Getty Images

Citing the ongoing surge of the more infectious COVID-19 Delta variant in the country, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday declared that "all suggestions will be considered" to prevent the possible voter disenfranchisement in the upcoming 2022 elections.

Disenfranchisement is the act of revoking a person’s right to vote. It becomes a crime when qualified voters are prevented from voting. This can come in the form of intimidation, stuffing ballot boxes, and so forth; essentially, any attempt to purposefully overturn the electoral process.

"There might, however, be legal impediments to holding elections away from designated voting centers, but again, no ideas are off the table for now," Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told reporters.

On the other hand, suggestions like the establishment of voting areas on COVID-19 hospital wards have already come up.

Allowing voters undergoing quarantine to cast their votes was also added to the proposal.

As of writing, voter registrations are still ongoing in Comelec's partner malls nationwide and will end on September 30, with no possible extensions.

Furthermore, of the 7.3 million deactivated voters, only 600,000 renewed their registrations for the #Halalan2022 as revealed by the Comelec last July 10.


Report source: ABS-CBN News