THE Voters List for the May 9 national and local elections is still not fully purged of dead voters, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
Comelec commissioner Atty. George Erwin Garcia explained that there is a process that should be followed regarding the correct removal of names of dead people from the list.
He said that based on the process, the Civil Registry of the area where the voter resides should first submit to the Comelec a certification that the voter is indeed dead.
This is done on a quarterly basis by the Civil Registry. Only then will the poll body remove the name of the dead individual from the voters’ list.
According to Garcia, until they receive a certification, they cannot remove from the list the name of the dead voter.
He likewise appealed to the next Congress that this loophole in the law be remedied.
However, Garcia guaranteed that any voter who is already dead will not be able to vote since they have measures in place to avoid this scenario.
One of the measures, he said, is the Election Day Computerized Voters List (EDCVL) where the voter’s picture will be shown, including biometrics and signature.
Garcia called on the members of the electoral boards that will be formed, even candidates’ watchers, to be on the alert to prevent attempts to have dead voters be able to vote.