Senior citizens cast their vote during the early voting period of the 2025 midterm elections at the New Capitol Estates - 1 basketball court in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City on May 12, 2025. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News/File
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking at ways to make voting more accessible to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), including wider use of internet voting and possible early voting for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable sectors.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body is concerned about the consistently low turnout among overseas Filipino voters despite efforts to encourage them to register and participate in elections.
Garcia said there are an estimated 12 million Filipinos living abroad, but fewer than two million are registered overseas voters.
“Isipin niyo ang estimate ng Pilipinas [sa] abroad ay 12 million at pagkatapos magpaparehistro lang sa iyo wala pang 2M,” Garcia said in a DZMM interview.
The turnout was similarly low during the 2025 midterm elections, when 221,284 or 18.12% of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters who were enrolled for online voting actually cast their ballots.
Garcia said the Comelec hopes internet voting can encourage more Filipinos abroad to participate by allowing them to vote using their phones, laptops or tablets without having to leave work or travel to a polling site.
“Ngunit ngayon mas paitingin natin ang kampanya dahil nakapag-rollout na tayo, nakapag-pilot test na tayo, baka sakaling this time ay mas may interest ang mga kababayan natin dahil cellphone na lang, laptops, iPads, makakaboto na sila,” he said.
“Hindi nila kailangan umalis pa sa trabaho o kaya ipagpaliban ang pahinga nila pagka Linggo o Sabado. At ang pagboto ay wala pang five minutes.”
The Comelec introduced internet voting for overseas Filipinos in the 2025 national and local elections. In that election, registered overseas voters could vote online in participating countries, while some locations used automated counting machines or other modes depending on host-country restrictions.
Garcia said the system could particularly benefit seafarers and other OFWs who may have difficulty reaching Philippine diplomatic posts during election periods.
Only 58,000 of 2 million OFWs enrolled in 2025 online voting system: Comelec
The Comelec has also used satellite registration activities to bring voter registration closer to Filipino communities abroad.
“Kung kaya lang may problema tayo kung bakit ito in-person. Tulad ng ordinaryong Pilipino dito sa ating bansa, kailangan makuha ang ating biometrics, fingerprints, pictures, signatures kasi ‘yan ang pagkakakilan sa atin. Ito ang matinding problema natin,” he said.
“Therefore, ang ginagawa lang natin, satellite registration. Dinadala natin ang mga pagpaparehistro sa mga lugar kung saan nagkukumpul-kumpul ang mga Pilipino, lalo na tuwing Sabagat at Linggo,” he added.
EARLY VOTING FOR VULNERABLE SECTORS
Garcia also expressed support for a proposal to allow certain vulnerable sectors to vote ahead of election day.
He said the Comelec already has a system for local absentee voters, including members of the media, teachers and soldiers whose work prevents them from voting on election day.
“Halimbawa, siya naka-assign sa araw na ito para siya mag-commento at may programa. Hindi siya makaboto kahit maghapon at special report siya kapag halala na pinag-uusapan. So ang gagawin, pwede siyang mag-apply bilang local absentee voter, isang linggo bago mag-election papayagan silang makaboto,” Garcia said.
Garcia said a similar arrangement could be extended to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples to prevent them from having to navigate crowded polling places on election day.
Garcia said the proposal could again be taken up by Congress.
Comelec pushes anew for vulnerable sectors voting one week before polls