PH Consulates in U.S. to roll out online voting for Eleksyon 2025

NEW YORK - All Philippine consulates in the United States will implement online voting for the upcoming midterm elections in May of next year.

New York Consul General Senen Mangalile said this is part of Commission on Elections (COMELEC) Resolution No. 11061 which directs Philippine embassies and consulates in the US to implement internet-based online voting.

“It’s entirely online, so there will only be one mode of election, and for the United States, it will be exclusively online," Mangalile said during the Media Hour at the Philippine Consulate General Office.

He added that voters who qualify must pre-enroll online a month and a half before the elections to be able to vote online.

"What happens is that those who registered previously, or those who are still registered because they participated in past elections, will need to pre-enroll 45 days before the election period, which begins 30 days before the actual election date in the Philippines in May," explained Mangalile.

"So, in total, there will be 75 days for overseas voters to pre-enroll to receive credentials to vote online. Once a registered voter receives their credentials within the 30 days before the election, they can vote using their laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. That's the voting system that will be implemented,” he added.

Mangalile also said that voters can now vote using their cell phones or laptops with an internet connection, no matter where they are in the world.

“The idea is, as long as you have an internet connection, you can vote. You could be registered here in New York but be in a mountain in Reykjavik, Iceland, and you can still vote within the voting period. That's the beauty of it.”

There are 10,645 registered voters under the jurisdiction of the New York Consulate, and over 100,000 across the U.S.

Due to the new voting system, the Philippine Consulate expects an increase in voter turnout.

Although voters no longer need to visit the consulate or embassy, these offices will set up kiosks to assist Filipino overseas voters with online voting.

However, voter Pong Alerta of the Patriotic Filipinos of New York group raised concerns about possible fraud and glitches.

"Napaka-risky nito. Sinasabi natin na sagrado ang boto ng bawat Filipino, pero tignan natin ngayon—online na, at saka tayong mga Filipino, lalo na 'yung mga IT kuno, maraming hukuspokus. Alam mo naman, pag online, paguusapan 'yang mga technicality nito, hindi natin alam,” Alerta said.

The Philippine Consulates and Embassies in the United States are set to launch a large-scale information campaign to educate people about the process of internet-based online voting. --VAL, GMA Integrated News