Will not matched by vote accessibility

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) must improve overseas voting accessibility and intensify its information campaign among Filipinos abroad, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go said, expressing concern over the persistently low voter turnout of overseas Filipinos despite increasing electoral participation in the Philippines.

During the Senate deliberations on Comelec’s proposed 2027 budget on Monday, Go asked the poll body to examine possible barriers preventing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and other qualified Filipinos abroad from exercising their right to vote, including work schedules, accessibility, and insufficient awareness of available voting mechanisms.

“I just have one suggestion I’d like to make. Please look into this. I noticed that while the national voter turnout was 82 percent, the turnout among overseas Filipino voters was less than 50 percent,” Go said.

“So perhaps you can look into ways to make it easier for them to vote and encourage them to participate in elections. They may live far from voting centers or face other difficulties. Perhaps you could develop a new system that would make voting more convenient for overseas Filipinos,” he added.

The senator raised the concern after noting the generally high voter participation recorded in recent Philippine elections. He welcomed the rising turnout figures discussed during the hearing and hoped electoral participation could eventually reach 90 percent.

Pinoys love to vote

“I’ve noticed that the trajectory of voter turnout has been increasing since 2016. Am I correct? From 2019 to 2022, 2025 and then the BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) elections, it has been trending upward, right? This means our fellow Filipino voters are increasingly participating in elections. Turnout has been rising,” Go said.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia acknowledged the senator’s observation and cited election automation, voter education, and the participation of civil society organizations as factors contributing to increased electoral participation.

On overseas voting, Garcia explained that Comelec introduced internet voting during the 2025 midterm elections to make the process more accessible to Filipinos residing and working abroad.

However, overseas voter turnout remained low at approximately 18 percent in 2025. Garcia noted that participation in midterm elections has historically been lower than in presidential elections, with overseas turnout reaching 40.59 percent during the 2022 presidential polls.

The Comelec chairperson also acknowledged that the internet voting system was relatively new and that overseas Filipinos were still familiarizing themselves with the process.

Go pointed out that even the higher turnout recorded during presidential elections remained below half of registered overseas voters.

“So it is still less than 50 percent,” he noted.