At the Philippine Consulate General in Dubai. ARCHIVE

Filipino voters in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the UAE will only be able to vote online in the upcoming midterm elections, as the Philippine Consulate General and Embassy will not offer manual voting. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed that only illiterate voters, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, and pregnant women will be accommodated at voting kiosks that will be set up in embassies and consulates,  but the votings kiosks will still use the online voting system. “Per the general instructions of the Comelec, only those who are illiterate, with disability, senior citizen, and pregnant may be accommodated to vote at the kiosk located in the consulate and embassy. There will be no manual voting as the kiosk will also be using online voting and the voter still has to use his or her own account,” according to the Philippine Consulate and the Philippine Embassy in a joint press release. According to Comelec, this will be the first time that online voting will be implemented in Philippine diplomatic missions in the UAE and 77 other Philippine foreign service posts worldwide. Only 16 posts are not yet ready to adopt online voting and will conduct voting by personal and postal mode. Only registered overseas voters will be allowed to vote, with pre-enrollment required in order to participate in the online vote. The deadline for pre-enrollment is May 7.

Filipino urged to pre-enroll for online voting before May 7

All registered overseas voters must pre-enroll before casting their ballots online. Only registered overseas voters will be allowed to vote, with pre-enrollment required for verification. The deadline for pre-enrollment is May 7. Pre-enrollment in the online voting system is not an automatic process. Registered overseas voters must pre-enroll before the deadline to vote online , Comelec has reiterated, adding that this step ensures that only legitimate voters can access the system, preventing fraud and unauthorized access. “It is exciting for all of us to be part of this historic voting because this is the first time we will have online voting,” said Philippine Consul General Marford Angeles in Dubai. Failure to complete the pre-enrollment process by May 7 will mean that even registered voters will not be able to cast their ballots online in the 2025 elections.

How to enroll and vote online

1. Check your voter status: Confirm if you are in the Certified List of Overseas Voters (CLOV). - Dubai and Northern Emirates voters - Abu Dhabi voters 2. Pre-enroll: Access ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll and follow instructions. 3. Get access: Wait for an email or SMS confirmation granting access to the voting portal 4. Test vote: After pre-enrollment, you can familiarize yourself with the test vote system until April 12. 5. Vote online: From April 13 to May 12, 2025, log in and cast your vote

Why online voting?

Comelec implemented online voting to make the electoral process more accessible to overseas Filipinos, eliminating challenges related to distance, time constraints, and geographical limitations. "We want to help our fellow Filipinos abroad by making voting easier and simpler while ensuring security," said Director Ian Michel G. Geonanga of Comelec's Office for Overseas Voting. "Internet voting is an option so we can vote faster and easier. Anytime, anywhere voting can be done anytime, anywhere," he added. Geonanga assured voters that the online voting system is highly secure with “multi-layered security” and authentication and verification measures. In the UAE, a total of 189,892 registered overseas voters are expected to cast their ballots. Online voting will run from April 13 to May 12, with polls closing at 3pm (UAE time) on the final day. ICA/CAM/Expat Media ALSO READ: Filipino overseas voting in UAE explained  
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