(Photo from left) Commission on Election (Comelec) Commissioner Arthur D. Lim, Comelec Executive Director Jose M. Tolentino Jr., and Smartmatic Program Manager Marlon Garcia, discuss the condition of some 82,000 Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines (right) during the poll body’s “Walk Through” on Friday (March 20, 2015), held at the production area in Comelec Warehouse, Park Drive, Light Industrial Science Park 1, Barangay Diezmo, Cabuyao, Laguna. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – About 63% of adult Filipinos, equivalent to 37.4 million, have been “validated” to vote so far, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The survey, the result of which was first published on BusinessWorld, also revealed that 30% of adult Filipinos, or an estimated 17.8 million, were registered but not validated as of the end of last year.
Meanwhile, 8% – equivalent to some 4.5 million – had not registered.
SWS said Mindanao had the highest proportion of validated voters at 69% (9.4 million); followed by the Visayas, 64% (7.4 million); “balance Luzon”, 63% (16.6 million); and Metro Manila, 50% (4.1 million).
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said a validated voter is one who is registered and whose photograph, fingerprint, and signature have been captured.
The poll body, in its Resolution No. 9721 promulgated on June 26, 2013, said only validated voters will be allowed to vote in the 2016 presidential elections.
Metro Manila had the highest proportion of registered but unvalidated voters at 39% (3.3 million); followed by balance Luzon, 31% (8.3 millon); the Visayas, 29% (3.3 million); and Mindanao, 22% (3 million).
Metro Manila also had the highest proportion of unregistered voters at 11% (about 920,000); followed by Mindanao, 9% (1.2 million); the Visayas, 7% (850,000); and “balance Luzon”, 6% (1.6 million).
The pollster explained that area estimates were weighted using population projections for 2014 of the Philippine Statistics Authority-National Statistics Office to obtain national estimates.
SWS said the proportion of validated voters was higher in the Philippines’ rural areas (67%) compared to urban areas’ (58%).
The proportion of registered but unvalidated voters was 33% in urban areas and 27% in rural. The proportion of unregistered voters in urban areas was 9% compared to rural areas’ 6%.
In terms of socioeconomic class, the proportion of validated voters was highest among class E at 68%; followed by class ABC with 63% and class D with 61%.
The proportion of registered but unvalidated voters was highest in class ABC at 36%; followed by class D, 32% and class E, 22%.
The proportion of unregistered voters was highest in class E at 10%; followed by class D, 7% and class ABC, 1%.
In terms of gender, the proportion of validated voters among women was 64%, higher than men’s 61%.
Proportion of unvalidated voters was 31% among men and 28% among women.
The proportion of unregistered voters was 8% among men and 7% among women.(MNS)