56% of May 2022 voters part of the youth – Comelec

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 8) — More than half of the 65.7 million voters in the country are between the ages 18 and 41 –– a “prime mover” of the May 2022 election results, the Commission on Elections said Tuesday.

Official voter statistics show that the youth will play a huge role in deciding the next Philippine leaders. A total of 37,015,901 fall under the age bracket, accounting for 56% of local voters. This is higher than the initial projection of 52%, according to Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez.

Meanwhile, there are about 12 million senior citizen voters on May 9.

“This is a very interesting development. It’s good for the country and I think it's important for everyone to know that the youth are the prime movers of this coming elections,” Jimenez said in a Tuesday press briefing.

By sex, female voters outweighed male voters at 33.64 million against 32.08 million men.

Based on location, the biggest voting blocs are Calabarzon (9.19 million), Metro Manila (7.3 million), and Central Luzon (7.29 million).

Meanwhile, the poll body has so far printed 17.5 million ballots since January 20, one-fourth of the total ballots needed for the upcoming elections.

The May 9 polls will be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will follow strict rules on physical distancing. Latest rules require voters to wear face masks and face shields to the precincts, although the face shield requirement is being reviewed in light of relaxed rules of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.