A bill asking voters to be registered online and a bolster to the pre-existing system could soon become a law as it passes the third and final reading.
With a majority vote or 307 affirmative votes versus one during the nominal voting on Monday, March 6, House Bill (HB) No. 7241 has seen overwhelming approval among lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
An improvement upon the “Voter’s Registration Act of 1996,” the bill changes Sections 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 22, 23, 24, 29, 32, 33, and 45 of the Republic Act (RA) No.8189.
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Principal co-author and speaker Ferdinand G. Romualdez claims that the goal of the proposed statute is to promote a registration system whereby “a clean, complete, permanent, and updated list of voters” is ensured and guaranteed.
Corollary to that, the bill also seeks to establish an ongoing system of voter registration, which the state shall support with the adoption and utilization of technologies that foster the registration of online voters as a choice.
Under the supposed updated version of RA No.8189, a qualified voter must be considered an addition to the permanent roster of voters in a precinct or municipality based on residency before they could vote.