NEW YORK CITY — The Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in New York City is ramping up its efforts to register Filipino-Americans to vote in the midterm elections back home in May next year.

Ricarte Abejuela III, head of the Overseas Voting Section of the PCG here, said they have been actively promoting overseas voting registration since it opened last December.

He said they are encouraging young Fil-Ams, especially those who are turning 18, to participate in the midterm polls back home.

“Ever since the registration opened in December of 2023, we have been actively promoting this (overseas voters’ registration) to Filipino-Americans within our jurisdiction,” Abejuela said.

“So we are targeting those who will turn 18 by May next year. Of course, it is not as many as those who are former Filipinos but we are getting there,” he said.

So far, Abejuela said the consulate has registered 8,000 Filipino-Americans since the overseas voting registration started last December.

“Currently, we have almost 8,000 who have registered. The bulk of them were former Filipinos,” he said. “Nine out of 10 dual citizens have registered as overseas voters.”

Abejuela said the consulate is also encouraging naturalized Americans applying to reinstate their Filipino citizenship to register for the overseas voting.