The number of registered voters for the May 2022 elections has once again surpassed the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) expectations, with the official total approaching 65 million.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez announced on an online forum that the number of registered voters has already surpassed 63 million as of the end of September.

“Our initial projections were 59 million but right now we are almost at 63 million projected registered voters for 2022 with roughly 4.5 million new registrants already in the books,” said Jimenez.

The poll body official also reported that the number of new voters has exceeded four million.

“Roughly 4.5 million new registrants in the books. This is incredible considering that there is a pandemic” added Jimenez in a virtual town hall discussion.

Meanwhile, around 51% of registered voters for the 2022 polls are represented by the young Filipino voters. Adolf Aguilar, chief of DepEd’s

Youth Formation Division, said the youth’s vote has the power to influence the elections.

“This big chunk of voters really hold a potential power that can greatly influence the outcome of our national and even local elections...Key issues tackled in every election directly relate to matters that affect all of you - your future employment, the services you get to enjoy, an honest and people-centered governance, and quality education,” shared Aguilar.

As the number of registrations continues to rise, influential people reminded the public to exercise their right to vote and be vigilant in choosing which candidate should they shade their pens on this coming May 2022 elections.

“We should exercise our right to vote by choosing the right candidates through examining their true intentions for running and their capacity to perform their role in the government because in the end, we are still the ones who are going to suffer if we are going to elect incompetent candidates,” remarked President of the USA Political Science Society, Kharme Therese Surmion.