COMELEC Field Offices to post list of voters with unclaimed Voter IDs
As part of its effort to distribute the millions of unclaimed voter identification cards, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) today announced that it has directed all its Field Offices nationwide to post the list of the names of voters whose voter IDs remain unclaimed.
COMELEC Spokesman James Jimenez said that starting this month, Election Officers throughout the country will be posting the said list outside local COMELEC Offices, Barangay Halls and other public places.
"The Voter ID is a valid ID recognized by all government offices and banks in all legal transactions," stated COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez. "Thus, the COMELEC deems the issuance and distribution of voter ID cards as a vital service to the public."
However, Jimenez stressed that due to the lack of awareness of the public as to the availability of their voter IDs at the local COMELEC Offices, an estimated 4.5 million voter IDs remain unclaimed. To address this, the COMELEC's Education and Information Department (EID) which Jimenez heads, has launched the #VoterIDKo Project to provide a more systematic means of distributing voter IDs.
The posting of the list of voters with unclaimed voter IDs are also part of the project, which the COMELEC En Banc promulgated through Resolution No. 9837 dated December 19, 2013.
"To find out if your voter ID is already printed and available for release, please visit your local COMELEC Office," said Jimenez, adding that to claim their Voter IDs, voters will be required to present any valid ID.
Jimenez said the COMELEC-EID has set-up a Social Media Support Unit to receive queries from the general public regarding their voter ID concerns. For assistance in finding and claiming voter IDs, Jimenez said voters may call the COMELEC hotline (02) 525-9294 or tweet their concerns to @COMELEC using the hashtag #VoterIDKo. They may also email voteridko@gmail.com.
"The #VoterIDKo project manned by the COMELEC-EID Social Media Support Unit has already facilitated the release of almost a thousand voter IDs since its launch last January 13, 2014," Jimenez said. ###