MANILA – A Commission on Elections (Comelec) official clarified that the national identification card is not a requirement to vote in the May 12 midterm polls, contrary to some social media post.
According to Atty. Nesrin Cali, as a general rule, voters do not need to present an identification card to vote, but she advised them to bring one just in case there is a question about their identity.
Cali added that the members of the Electoral Board are supposed to identify the voters using the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL).
The voters will only be asked for an ID card in certain circumstances, such as if the Electoral Board members cannot establish their identity using the EDCVL because their appearance varies greatly from the photo.
Another instance is if the voter’s identity is challenged by a voter or watcher, or when the voter is a person with disability, and the disability is not indicated in the EDCVL and whose disability is not immediately apparent.
“The practical advice is for voters to bring any valid ID just in case these exceptions will apply to them. But as a general rule, they do not have to present it for them to be allowed to vote,” she said.
There are 69.6 million registered voters for the May polls and of that number, 68.4 million are in the country while 1.2 million are overseas voters./PN
