THE Philippines has officially started internet voting for the first time, as pre-enrollment for overseas voting opened on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
Voting via the internet will be the mode used by most overseas Filipinos across 77 consular posts, including areas with a high number of Filipino populations.
Pre-enrollment enables registered voters to use the online voting platform by authenticating their identities.
The month-long voting period for overseas voters will be from April 13 to May 12, and online pre-enrollment will be open until May 7.
“You must enroll yourselves on our website, everything is there… In a matter of less than two minutes, you will be able to accomplish that,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia said in Tagalog on Thursday.
The Comelec hopes to boost voter turnout among overseas Filipinos with the new system, which in 2022 was at an all-time high of only 38 percent.
Garcia urged local voters to help educate their relatives abroad about the need to pre-enroll if the latter are based in an area covered by the online voting system.
Garcia also noted the processes that went behind ensuring the security of the online voting system, provided by SMS Global Technologies and US-based Sequent Tech.
“This went through an international certifying body, and even our citizens’ arm, interest groups, and political parties were invited to the local source code review, and they did not see any [anomalies]. It was all okay, especially with the trusted build we conducted, where it was proven that the system is hack-free and cannot be compromised,” said Garcia.
Still, Garcia said the Comelec will continue to be vigilant against those who might attempt to compromise the system.
Eversince overseas Filipinos were allowed to vote in 2003, they had voted either personally at consular posts, or by mailing their ballots. / RAPPLER