Only 1.18 million out of 15 million overseas Filipinos have registered for the 2025 elections, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Comelec Chairman George Garcia cited the low number of registrants due to the nature and location of their work or their distance from registration sites.
However, with still a month before the deadline for the registration period on September 30, Comelec expressed hope that it will meet its target of 1.48 million registered overseas voters for next year’s midterm elections.
“We have a lot of expectations still in the remaining days of registration, as for our overseas voters, they might sign up once they hear that internet voting will be available for them,” Garcia said.
He said the different Philippine posts abroad put up satellite registration activities to lure more Filipinos to register for the 2025 polls. Comelec will be using internet voting in 76 Philippine posts worldwide.
Aside from internet voting, the poll body will be using automated counting machines for the 33,328 overseas voters in 17 Philippine posts.
