Manila: The Philippine government is aiming for a higher voter turnout among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), but it has shunned internet and mobile phone voting in the 2016 presidential polls.
The situation is likely to result in low participation among the one million registered overseas voters who represent 10 per cent of the country’s 10 million OFWs worldwide.
“There is no explicit law that allows internet voting in 2016,” said Arthur Lim, head of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) office for overseas voting.
The use of the internet and mobile phones is “being explored for future elections,” Lim said. He did not give details of what process was being carried out to make this modern approach a reality.
Despite the upgrading and automation of Philippine elections such as the use of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOC) that were sent to selected overseas posts earlier, “Comelec has remained open to the current personal voting system,” Lim said.
Hoping to increase overseas voter turnout despite this limitation, Comelec has decided to “bring the voting machines to stations outside the embassies where our overseas Filipino voters may conveniently go to vote,” Lim said.
Comelec is thinking of malls and parks where OFWS could cast ballots in 2016, a source said.
“The Board of Election Inspectors is now allowed to bring voting machines to certain designated ports where ships dock to allow Filipino seafarers vote,” Lim said, adding, “Vote-counting machines are now mobile — they are being sent to places where many OFWs are based.”
OFWs have been limited to vote manually in Philippine embassies and consulates, using ballots sent by the Manila-based Comelec to several Philippine posts.
Automated elections and the use of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOC) machines were allowed in earlier elections for overseas Filipinos only in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jeddah, Kuwait, Riyadh, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
In 2016, automated elections will be done in more areas, Lim promised.
“We hope to reach 1.5 million OFW voters after registration ends on October 31,” said Lim, adding that Comelec’s current list includes 1,197,756 registered overseas voters.
“I also hope to reach 40 to 50 per cent overseas voters’ turnout in 2016,” said Lim, adding there was 65 per cent voters’ turnout in the 2004 presidential race; but low 26 per cent voters’ turnout in the 2010 presidential elections.
There was low voters’ turnout of 16 per cent in midterm (Congressional and local) elections in 2007 and 2013, said Lim.
In 2003, Congress passed a law that allowed overseas Filipino workers to vote abroad.
But very few OFWs have shown no enthusiasm, interest, and passion to vote for presidential, vice-presidential, and congressional candidates 13 years since the law was passed.
