MANILA, 29 Feb – Per resolution issued by the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), those who wish to apply for Local Absentee Voting (LAV) privilege for the May 9 polls have only until March 7 to do so.
According to Comelec Resolution No. 10003, LAV is for civil servants who would be temporarily assigned to perform election duties on Election Day in places where they are not registered as voters.
Registered voters from the media may avail of the privilege if they believe they would not be able to vote due to the strict demand of their tasks of covering the elections.
Also entitled to the privilege are other media practitioners, including those in the technical and support staff who are actively engaged in the pursuit of information gathering and reporting or distribution.
Also allowed to apply for LAV are government officials and employees as well as members of the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
They can file their applications before their “heads of offices/supervisors, commanders/officers next-in-rank.”
The same resolution provides that voters availing of LAV can only vote for candidates running for national positions, namely: president, vice-president, senators and party-list organization. Voting shall be on April 27, 28 and 29.
For voting government officials and employees, members of the AFP and PNP, the heads of offices/supervisors/commanders or officers next-in-rank shall, not later than April 12, 2016, designate the place of voting where the voters shall converge to vote, the COMELEC underscored.
Media voters can cast their votes at COMELEC offices where they filed their application.
The COMELEC added that only those with active voter’s registration can avail of LAV. (PND)