AHEAD of the 2022 Philippine general election, overseas Filipino voters are urged to participate in a test run of four internet voting solutions by different election systems providers.

The country’s Commission on Elections (Comelec) Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) is calling on overseas voters who have active and complete voter registration records to take part in the trial.

“Their registration status must be active, which means that it must not have been deactivated for failure to vote in the two previous elections in 2016 and 2019,” the poll body said on Monday, February 8.

The test participants must also have complete biometrics data, including photograph, fingerprints and signature.

A smartphone capable of running Android or iOS apps, a laptop or personal computer, or any mobile device with internet/data access is required in order to participate in the test run.

“In compliance with our data privacy policy, interested participants will be required to email us their signed consent form, together with a copy of their passport or seafarer’s book. We advise that they only send these documents to our official email address at [email protected].” said OFOV Director Sonia Bea L. Wee-Lozada.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez told Rappler that the test run is not specifically for the 2022 elections.

“The dry run is being undertaken under the Comelec’s mandate to study new forms of voting, to facilitate the exercise of the right of suffrage by overseas voters. The results of the dry run will be eventually presented to Congress, for Congress to decide if it should be adopted for overseas voting,” he said.

“As you can imagine, that is a long process and so, 2022 is an unrealistic target,” he added.
The four internet voting solutions are from Dominion Voting Systems, Indra, Smartmatic, and Voatz.

Overseas Filipinos who are interested in joining may get the sign-up form posted on the OFOV’s official Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/overseasvotingph).

Test voters have until 8 a.m. (Manila time) on Friday, February 12, to sign up.