Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, September 1) — Filipinos abroad who have returned to the Philippines are given more time to transfer their records so they can vote in local precincts for the 2022 elections.
According to the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) of the Commission on Elections, returning Filipinos may apply to transfer the voting records from the offshore registry to local voter’s lists until Sept. 30.
This will allow them to vote in polling centers within the Philippines for the May 9 presidential and local polls.
Meanwhile, the original Aug. 31 deadline will only apply for Filipinos who sent their applications for transfer through Comelec’s virtual frontline services.
The extension is seen to benefit over half a million overseas Filipino workers who have flown home due to the global COVID-19 crisis over the past year.
Filipinos abroad cast their ballots through in-person or mail-in voting before Philippine embassies and other diplomatic posts.
The transfer of voter records will be processed before local Comelec offices in the district where the returning Filipinos reside, the OFOV told CNN Philippines. The process is similar to voters within the country who wish to vote in a different district, where they are asked to fill up forms and provide their biometric data such as photo, fingerprints, and signature.
The Sept. 30 deadline also applies to new voters, as well as for overseas voters who want to register to cast their ballot abroad, and for those transferring from one foreign voting post to another, according to the Comelec’s election calendar.
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