Internet voting for overseas Filipino voters discussed at town hall

The Philippine Embassy holds a town hall meeting to raise awareness about the 2025 Philippine national and local elections. Photo by Bing Cardenas Branigin

WASHINGTON – The Philippine Embassy held a town hall meeting on Wednesday featuring visiting officials from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to raise awareness about the 2025 Philippine national and local elections.

The meeting featured Comelec Commissioners Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo and Nelson Celis, who were in Washington DC to observe the 2024 US presidential elections.

Commissioner Casquejo, who is in charge of overseas voting, shared that registered overseas voters in 76 Philippine embassies and consulates, “equivalent to around 1 million Filipinos,” will be using the new mode of internet voting for the 2025 elections.

“For the first time, overseas Filipino voters in select countries will be able to cast their vote for their senators and party-list representatives from their mobile devices next year,” said Commissioner Casquejo. “We are confident that internet voting will result in more overseas Filipinos turning out to vote.”

Commissioner Celis discussed the key security features of the new system and assured voters that the system is “robust and secure.”

Commissioner Inting expressed the hope that overseas Filipinos will support the innovation.

“Gone are the days of costly, delayed, or returned paper ballots for our voters in the United States and the Caribbean,” said Consul General Donna Rodriguez in her remarks. “Online voting is an easier, faster and more secure way for overseas Filipino voters to exercise their right to vote.”

Registered overseas voters were advised to take note of the following key dates:

• Feb. 27, 2025 – Start of pre-voting enrollment
• April 13, 2025 – Start of the 30-day overseas voting period
• May 12, 2025, 7 p.m. Philippine Standard Time – Closing of polls

Prior to the town hall meeting, the COMELEC Commissioners paid a courtesy call to Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, who assured them of the Embassy’s full support in their electoral reforms and initiatives.

“Since the enactment of the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, the Embassy has played an active role in the administration of our elections,” said Romualdez. “I hope that with the new mode of voting, the 200,000-strong overseas Filipino voters in the whole of the US and Caribbean will embrace this opportunity to participate seamlessly in our democratic process.”

Filipinos under the Philippine Embassy’s jurisdiction can refer to the Certified List of Overseas Voters to check their voter record. Overseas voter registration ended last Sept. 30.