Comelec sees increase in overseas absentee voters

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is expecting an increase in the turnout of overseas absentee voters (OAV) due to the expansion of automated election among migrant Filipinos.

Automated voting is expanded from seven posts in the 2013 elections to 30 posts in the May 2016 polls. 

The 30 posts are in Agana, Chicago, Honolulu,Los Angeles, New York, Ottawa, San Francisco, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington in North America; London, Madrid, Milan and Rome in Europe; Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo in Asia Pacific; and Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Doha, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Manama, Polo al khobar, Riyadh and Tel Aviv in the Middle East.

As of Nov. 12, 2015 some 1.4 Filipinos abroad have signed up to vote on May 9.

Comelec Commissioner Arthur Lim said the poll body has been coordinating with Filipino communities abroad to beef up the information campaign among OAVs.

“While interest in a presidential election is really high, we still want to make sure that Filipinos overseas will exercise their right to vote in the coming election,” said Lim, who is in charge of the Office for Overseas Voting. 

Lim said there are also commitments to help in transporting Filipinos from their places of work to the Philippine posts where they will cast their votes.

Voter’s turn out in overseas absentee voting is usually low, primarily because the places of work of many migrant Filipinos are far from the consulates or embassies of the Philippines. 

In previous elections, migrant Filipinos did not even want to register as voters because of a requirement that they must executive an affidavit that they will come back to the Philippines every other year. This requirement has been withdrawn.