Manila — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced plans to issue digital voter identification cards to overseas Filipino voters, enabling their participation in a pilot internet voting project for the May 2025 midterm elections.
According to Philippines News Agency, the initiative aims to facilitate the registration and voting process for Filipinos abroad by providing them with modernized, digital voter's IDs. "The Commission has approved the issuance of the digital voter's ID to ease their participation in the pilot internet voting in the forthcoming elections," Garcia stated in a press release on Tuesday. He further explained that registered overseas voters could request their digital voter's ID by sending an email to a dedicated address provided by the Commission.
The pre-enrolment for overseas voters interested in participating in the internet voting trial will run from February 12, 2025, to May 12, 2025. This process will require the submission of personal information along with government-issued identification documents. Garcia also mentioned that the digital voter's ID would serve as a valid government-issued ID, in cases where a Philippine passport or a seafarer's identification record book is unavailable.
The Comelec plans to utilize the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) for the overseas voting segment of the 2025 midterm elections, marking a significant modernization effort in the electoral process for Filipinos living abroad.