Comelec to implement online voting for overseas Filipinos in 2025 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will implement internet voting for overseas Filipinos in the 2025 National and Local Elections. 

Comelec Chairman George Garcia on Wednesday said this is to increase the voter turnout and to make it more convenient for overseas voters. 

“Para sa 2025, regardless whether there is law or not, the Comelec is pursuing internet voting for overseas Filipinos,” said Garcia during the Updates on Political Party Institutionalization and the 2025 National and Local Elections conference held at The Bayleaf Intramuros. 

(For 2025, regardless of whether there is a law or not, the Comelec is pursuing internet voting for overseas Filipinos.) 

Garcia said that despite the 2022 polls' seeing the highest overseas voting numbers, they were still less than half of the registered Filipino voters abroad.

“That’s very important. Kasi ang botante abroad in 2022 ay 1.697 million pero ang nakaboto, 40.59 percent lang. That’s about 670,000 but it’s the highest in the history of overseas voting, highest pa po ‘yon,” he said. 

(That's very important. Because the voters abroad in 2022 are 1.697 million, but only 40.59 percent voted. That's about 670,000 but it’s already the highest in the history of overseas voting, that's been the highest [so far].) 

Currently, there are two ways of voting for Filipinos abroad. 

The first option is the voter will go to the Philippine embassy or consulate to cast his or her vote.

The second one is through the mail, wherein the embassy or the consulate sends the official ballot to the voter, who then mails it back to the diplomatic post.

However, Garcia, said many ballots have not been returned. 

“For whatever reason, hindi namin alam bakit hindi naipapadala pabalik ng mga Filipinos samantalang libre na po ito,” he said.  

(We don't know why Filipinos don't send it back when it's already  free.)

He also said that it cannot be guaranteed that the Filipinos are really the ones who accomplished the ballot.

With internet voting, security features can be installed. By implementing this, overseas Filipinos will no longer have difficulty traveling to their respective embassies to vote in every election. 

“We will proceed with internet voting at all costs in the coming 2025 elections,” he added. — BM, GMA Integrated News