Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 8189)
The official title is 'The Voter's Registration Act of 1996.'
The policy is to systematize the present method of registration to establish a clean, complete, permanent, and updated list of voters.
Registration refers to the act of accomplishing and filing a sworn application for registration by a qualified voter before the election officer of the city or municipality wherein he resides, including the same in the book of registered voters upon approval by the Election Registration Board.
The VIN consists of three parts: (1) the current address (city/municipality and province), (2) the current precinct assignment of the voter, and (3) the permanent birth and name code unique to every voter.
Immediately after the barangay elections in 1997, the Commission shall undertake a general registration of voters before the Board of Election Inspectors on specific dates set in June 1997, and subsequently continuing registration as provided by the Act.
All Filipino citizens not disqualified by law who are at least 18 years old, have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the place where they propose to vote for at least six months immediately preceding the election, may register.
Persons sentenced by final judgment to imprisonment of at least one year (unless pardon or automatic reacquisition after 5 years), those adjudged guilty of crimes involving disloyalty to the government unless rights are restored, and insane or incompetent persons (unless recovery is declared).
Illiterate persons may register with assistance from the Election Officer or an accredited citizen's arm member, with an oath-taking process and attestation. Disabled persons may have their applications prepared by relatives or officials, with their status indicated in the application.
The Board is composed of the Election Officer as chairman, the most senior public school official as a member, and the local civil registrar or in their absence, the city or municipal treasurer.
Offenses are punishable with imprisonment from one to six years without probation, disqualification to hold public office, deprivation of suffrage, and in the case of foreigners, deportation after serving the prison term. Political parties found guilty face fines between 100,000 to 500,000 pesos.
The registered voter may apply to the Election Officer of the new residence; upon approval of the Election Registration Board after notice and hearing, the former Election Officer must mail the voter's registration record to the new Election Officer.
Personal filing of registration applications is conducted daily during office hours, except during 120 days before a regular election and 90 days before a special election.
Each barangay shall have at least one precinct with no more than 200 voters each, comprising contiguous and compact territories. Spin-off precincts are created automatically when the 200 voter limit is reached.
They are entitled to watchers in every registration board, are furnished copies of notices and certified lists, and their representatives may file challenges or oppositions to voter applications.
Registration is deactivated for persons sentenced to imprisonment (with conditions), adjudged guilty of crimes against the government (unless rights restored), declared insane or incompetent, those who failed to vote in two successive regular elections, who lost Filipino citizenship, or whose registration has been ordered excluded by the court.