New method for overseas voting introduced

MANILA, Philippines – A new voting method for Filipinos overseas will be introduced this year in 14 posts.

The “modified postal” mode will be used in:

• Aspac DFA (Palau)
• Bangkok (Thailand)
• Beijing (China, North Korea, Mongolia)
• Dhaka (Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka)
• Guangzhou (China)
• Hanoi (Vietnam)
• Islamabad (Pakistan)
• Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea)
• Ankara (Turkey)
• Brussels (Belgium, Luxembourg)
• Milan (Italy)
• Moscow (Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Ukraine)
• Rome (Italy, Albania, San Marino)
• Nairobi (Kenya, Burundi, Congo, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda).

This will be the first time that this mode of voting will be implemented, according to Bella Ranes of the Commission on Elections – Committee on Overseas Absentee Voting (Comelec-COAV).

Under this voting scheme, official ballots will be put in individual envelopes with the voters’ names. These will be delivered to the posts where the OAVs are registered. The embassy staff will then send the ballots door-to-door to the OAVs.

• Personal voting, where voters go to embassies and consulates to cast their votes.
• Automated voting, where voters go the embassy or consulates and feed their ballots onto the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines similar to what are use in the Philippines.
• Postal voting, where ballots are sent to voters and embassies/consulates via mail.

In most posts, postal voting will be implemented in 2013.

Automated voting will be implemented in the 7 posts that have the highest number of registered overseas voters.

Overseas voters can cast their ballots starting April 13 and until May 13, the election day in the Philippines. They are allowed to vote only in national races, which this year include those for the Senate and the party list. – Rappler.com