Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12) — A bill has been filed in the House of Representatives that would allow electronic voting for overseas Filipino workers and seafarers, and prevent their disenfranchisement.
Filed by OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa Magsino on Thursday, House Bill 6770 seeks to amend Republic Act 10590, or the “Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2013,” by including electronic means like email, web-based portals, and other internet-based technology in voter registration and actual voting.
Magsino said there is no accommodation in the law that allows OFWs and seafarers to vote if they cannot go to diplomatic posts when they are on-board a vessel, on the high seas, or restricted by their work.
“The gaps in the existing laws and regulations on overseas absentee voting must be addressed to allow OFWs and OFs to fully participate in our elections, thereby enabling them to effectively exercise one of the key attributes of their Filipino citizenship the right to choose their leaders,” she added.
Currently, overseas voting may be done either in person or by mail.
The Senate counterpart of the measure was filed by Sen. Francis Tolentino in July last year.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) did not include online voting in the 2022 national elections, but it previously made test runs as it eyed to roll out the option for Filipinos abroad for the 2025 polls.
READ: Comelec: Trial online voting results ‘promising’ despite connectivity issues
Only 472,559 of the 1.69 million registered overseas voters actually cast their ballots last May, according to Comelec data.
