Internet voting enrollment for overseas voters postponed to March 20

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The new start date for pre-enrollment is less than a month away from the month-long overseas voting period beginning April 13

MANILA, Philippines – The start of pre-enrollment for overseas Filipino voters participating in internet voting has been postponed to March 20, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia confirmed on Thursday, March 6.

Garcia said that the postponement was done “per request” of Philippine diplomatic posts abroad.

“Okay lang naman po (This is okay) because enrollment can be done even until May 7, 2025,” Garcia told Rappler. He said the postponement was decided in an en banc resolution that has yet to be published.

For the first time in Philippine elections, overseas voters will be participating in internet voting in May, and the first step is pre-enrollment in the online system. The start of pre-enrollment was originally on Monday, March 10.

By pre-enrolling, voters under the jurisdiction of one of the 76 posts participating in internet voting will receive a notification to access the Comelec’s Voting Portal. From the opening of pre-enrolling until the first day of the month-long period to vote for overseas Filipinos, April 13, overseas voters are expected to be able to use a test voting platform to familiarize themselves with the system.

The automated election system’s Technical Evaluation Committee has yet to certify the AES, one main reason being that the 2025 elections includes an additional automated system — the online voting and counting system (OVCS) for overseas voting.

Overseas groups have also sounded the alarm over what they saw was a lack of information campaign on internet voting, which will be the major mode of voting for the 1.3 million registered overseas voters for the 2025 elections. – Rappler.com