Overseas voters urged to participate in internet voting test run
MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections called on registered overseas workers to participate in the test run of internet voting.
In a release Monday, Comelec’s Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) urged overseas voters who have active and complete voter registration to sign up as test voters in the test run of four internet voting solutions.
To participate in the internet voting test run, a voter must have a smartphone capable of running Android or iOS applications, a laptop or personal computer, or any mobile device with internet or data access.
The registration status of voters must be also active, which means that it must not have been deactivated for failure to vote in 2016 and 2019 elections.
Complete biometrics data of voters such as photograph, fingerprints and signatures are also required.
“In compliance with our data privacy policy, interested participants will be required to email us their signed consent form, together with a copy of their passport or seafarer’s book,” OFOV Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada said. The office advised that such documents be sent to its email address at [email protected].
Test voters may sign up until 8 a.m. Manila time on February 12, Friday. The link to the sign up form could be accessed on OFOV's Facebook page.
Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez told OneNews’ “The Chiefs” last November that the idea of having internet voting is “for overseas absentee voting (OAV) only so far.” He said the problem for OAV is the low turnout since many Filipinos abroad could not go to their assigned polling centers.
There were 63.5 million registered voters, including 1.8 million overseas voters, for the May 2019 midterm elections. OAV reported a voter turnout of only 40%, lower than the national average of 75%.
In an interview on ANC last week, Jimenez floated the possibility of a ban on face-to-face campaigning as the coronavirus pandemic rages on. He, however, said he was not certain whether there will be such a prohibition, adding that the poll body would have to coordinate with the government's pandemic task force. — Gaea Katreena Cabico with report from Shiela Crisostomo
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