Pre-voting enrollment for overseas voters extended
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has extended the pre-voting enrollment for internet voting of overseas voters up to Election Day, Monday, May 12, at 12 noon. This extension gives registered Filipinos abroad more time to register and participate in the upcoming midterm elections.
“Registered Overseas Voters in the 77 Posts adopting Internet Voting may enroll until 12 May 2025, 12:00 noon Philippine Standard Time in order to avail of Internet Voting,” the Comelec announced on Facebook Saturday night.
Comelec Chairman George Garcia confirmed this extension during an interview on Super Radyo dzBB Sunday. “Sa mga kababayan nating nasa abroad, naku mas minarapat po natin i-extend ang inyong registration hanggang bukas na po ng alas dose [ng tanghali],” he said.
He added, “Hanggang bukas na po puwede pa kayong mag-enroll, makahabol para makaboto itong ating eleksyon na midterm national. Sa national po sila, sa senador at sa party-list.” This means overseas voters can still enroll until noon on May 12 to vote for senators and party-list groups in the national elections.
How to enroll and vote online
Overseas voters must first register through the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) at https://ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll before they can cast their votes via the internet. The online voting period began on April 13 and will run until 7 p.m. on Election Day, May 12 (Philippine Standard Time).
When asked about the number of overseas voters who have already voted, Garcia said, “madami-dami na rin,” but added that they cannot disclose exact figures due to legal restrictions.
He encouraged overseas Filipinos to take advantage of the online enrollment and voting system, saying, “Naku five minutes lang, makakapag-enroll na kayo. Two minutes lang, makakaboto na kayo. Kaya sana i-avail natin kesa pupunta pa tayo sa embahada o konsulada.” It’s a quick and convenient way to cast votes without visiting embassies or consulates.
Enrollment deadlines and voter statistics
The Comelec initially set the pre-voting enrollment deadline on May 7, then extended it first to May 10 and now to May 12 at noon. As of May 6, around 200,000 overseas Filipino voters had registered for the pre-voting enrollment system, weeks after registration opened on March 20.
There are 69.6 million registered voters for the May 12 polls, with 68.4 million voters in the country and 1.2 million overseas voters. Polls will close at 7 p.m. PST on May 12, both in physical precincts and online.
Additional voting time for online voters
The Comelec also clarified that if an overseas voter is already logged into the online voting portal at the time polls close, they may still cast their vote within 15 minutes after 7 p.m. PST. After this window, if the voter has not submitted their ballot, the system will automatically log them out.
This extension ensures voters who are in the process of voting online will not be cut off abruptly when the polls close.