Historic first: PH Embassy concludes online voting for Filipinos in US
Members of the Special Board of Canvassers sign the Certificate of Canvas after consolidating the election results of all 30 clustered precincts in the United States. Photo from the Philippine Embassy
WASHINGTON – The Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., has concluded the first-ever online voting for overseas Filipinos in the United States.
Out of the 188,519 voters registered across the US – from Guam to Washington, D.C., – a total of 9,806 Filipinos cast their digital ballots, reflecting an overall turnout of 5.2 percent.
In a statement, the Embassy said the online voting in eight Philippine Foreign Services Posts in the US, was “a historic step towards expanding electoral access for Filipinos abroad.”
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“This is a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to bring not only our government services – but also the democratic process – closer to Filipinos wherever they are in the world,” said Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez.
Romualdez said online voting addresses “long-standing challenges faced by our kababayan” such as distance, accessibility and postal delays.
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Photo from the Philippine Embassy
“Historically, midterm polls see lower turnout compared to presidential elections,” he said.
“But we at the Embassy see this as the beginning of a more accessible, secure and inclusive way of making sure that the voices of overseas Filipinos are heard.”
In San Francisco, the Philippine Consulate General reported that a total of 1,779 Filipinos cast their votes online or 3.98 percent of the 44,687 registered voters in the Consulate’s jurisdiction.
With the low voter turnout, the Consulate said it remains optimistic that “participation will grow in future elections as voters gain more confidence in the digital platform.”
Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer reviews the official election returns at the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco. Photo from PCG San Francisco
“We are grateful to our kababayans who embraced this new mode of participation and made their voices heard online,” said Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer.
To support the transition to online voting, the Consulate said it launched a “multi-pronged” campaign to reach voters.
The Consulate added that its AI-powered chatbot, Tala, responded to an average of 120 election-related inquiries daily, helping guide voters throughout the process.
However, progressive Filipino American groups have criticized the government for voter disenfranchisement, “preventing millions of eligible Overseas Absentee Voters (OAVs) from exercising their democratic right to vote.”
In a joint statement, Malaya Movement Seattle, Migrante Seattle and BAYAN Washington said the Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco “neglected to inform voters that they had to re-register after their status had lapsed.”
“Tens of thousands of OAVs subsequently had their voter status deactivated, with no notice,” the groups said
They added many were unaware that online voting was even an option, or that they had to pre-enroll to vote.
