The number of registered voters in Oriental Negros for this year's election is expected to go down from 606,000 in 2004 to 593,382 as of October 2006 although the provincial election registration board is still collating the remaining new registrants in the last two months of last year.

The Commission on Elections is cleansing its list of voters by removing the names of those who are dead, persons who transferred to or from the province, and who failed to vote twice for two consecutive elections.

They as well as those who are criminally convicted for a year or more per records provided by the court shall be deactivated, provincial election supervisor Manuel Advincula said.

As the election period starts, Advincula said he hopes that no untoward incidents will happen especially in the municipalities and cities in the province where there is intense political rivalry.

These are Canlaon, Vallehermoso, Guihulngan, Ayungon, Bindoy, Bais, Tanjay, Bacong, Zamboanguita and Siaton.

Advincula lamented that the youths are seemingly uninterested or unconcerned in the election. Half of the qualified voters among the youth failed to register in 2006. He said the youths lack the motivation to participate in the democratic process.*RG

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