The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting an increase of overseas Filipino voters for the 2025 elections after the poll body held its second round of bidding for the P465.8 million Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) on Tuesday.
Comelec chairman George Garcia said internet voting will be the primary mode of voting for overseas Filipinos during the 2025 midterm elections.
Currently, Overseas Absentee Voters can vote via the in-person and mail-in modes.
Garcia said that during the May 2022 polls, overseas voters were at 1.697 million wherein a total of 40.59 percent of them did cast their ballots. This is a slight increase from the 31 percent record made in 2010.
Garcia has stated that this “dismal” record was the highest in voting history.
The approval of the conduct of electronic/internet voting for overseas Filipino voters was based on Section 16.11 of Republic Act No. 9189, Section 28 of RA 10390 and Section 23 of RA 10390.
Garcia said Comelec is now set to prepare the roadmap for electronic voting for overseas Filipinos.
Meanwhile, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said in-person or mail-in voting will only happen in countries where the internet is restricted, like in China, Russia and Israel.
He said that out of 92 posts abroad, there are 17 countries with internet restrictions and the Comelec is still trying to talk to their governments to find out if the rules are flexible.
The poll body will also determine the mode of casting votes, whether internet voting, via mail, or in-person, depending on the rules per country and the distance of a voter from the embassy or consulate.
Laudiangco said internet voting for overseas Filipinos is more convenient to Filipinos abroad and expects a better voter turnout.
Through this mode, Garcia said that 200,000 to 300,000 Filipino seafarers will get the opportunity to cast their vote and they should not be deprived of it.
Laudiangco said the platform would be like a smartphone application that is easy to navigate. An overseas voter has to enroll in one gadget to vote online.
Comelec officials also assured that internet voting will be easy and user-friendly similar to using a smartphone, Facebook, chatting, and doing online banking.
“If you trust financial and banking institutions with your money, you can also trust the system that Comelec is procuring because our priority is security and auditability,” he added.
Laudiangco said the platform would be like a smartphone application that is easy to navigate.