Comelec eyes 1 million absentee voters for 2013 elections

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will work double time to reach its target of registering some one million overseas absentee voters (OAV) for the 2013 midterm polls.

“Our drive is to reach one million. So we are working on it now,” said Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes.

Comelec records showed that for the May 2010 polls there were 589,830 registered OAVs.

The figure went down to 347,453 after the poll body had de-listed those who failed to vote for two consecutive elections as required under the Omnibus Election Code.

The others were stricken off the lists for having double or multiple registrations and for filing withdrawal of registration.

Yesterday, the poll body started accepting applications for registrations for OAV. The agency had begun its training program for OAV registration last month through the Philippine post personnel in the Middle East.

Records also showed that of the 589,830 registered OAVs in 2010, only 153,323 actually managed to cast their votes.

At present, OAVs can vote in person or by email voting.

Around 225,148 OAVs were in Middle East; 215,546 in Asia; 66,745 in the Americas; 61,294 in Europe and 21,097 were seafarers.