Comelec sees 61 million voters in 2019 polls

October 10, 2018

Around 61 million Filipinos are expected to vote in the May 2019 national and local elections.

Based on Commission on Elections (Comelec) estimates, there will be three million more registered voters from 58 million in 2016.

“We expect that in 2019 we may have close to 61 million voters... to us, it is a good sign that the people are very much engaged and willing to participate,” said COMELEC spokesman James Jimenez in a media forum on Wednesday.

Jimenez said Comelec sees 1.9 million registered overseas absentee voters  from 1.3 million in the 2016 election.

“We will also be including the 1.9 million overseas voters so we will really have a high participation in the next elections,” said Jimenez.

Earlier, the COMELEC said about 2.5 million filed applications in the last voter registration period, which ended on September 29.

Jimenez said an estimated one-third of the 61 million are aged 18 to 35 years old.

“We should factor in the inclusion of the alumni of the Sangguniang Kabataan. They need not to register as they are automatically included in the list of voters,” said Jimenez.

Those aged 55 years old and up comprise a “little less than one-third” of the total. “The smallest demographics we have are those in the middle age,” said Jimenez. DMS