Comelec extends pre-voting enrollment for overseas voters for Eleksyon 2025

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced the extension of the pre-voting enrollment for internet voting of overseas voters up to Election Day, Monday, May 12, at 12 noon.

"Registered Overseas Voters in the 77 Posts adopting Internet Voting may enroll until 12 May 2025, 12:00 noon Philippine Standard Time in order to avail of Internet Voting," the Comelec said in a post on Facebook on Saturday night.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia confirmed the extension in an interview on Sunday on Super Radyo dzBB.

"Sa mga kababayan nating nasa abroad, naku mas minarapat po natin i-extend ang inyong registration hanggang bukas na po ng alas dose [ng tanghali]," Garcia said.

(For our countrymen abroad, we have extended your registration [period] until tomorrow at 12 noon.)

"Hanggang bukas na po puwede pa kayong mag-enroll, makahabol para makaboto itong ating eleksyon na midterm national. Sa national po sila, sa senador at sa party-list," he added.

(Until tomorrow, you can still enroll to be able to vote in our midterm national elections. They can participate in the national elections and vote for senators and party-list groups.)

The Comelec said overseas voters may enroll by going to https://ov.comelec.gov.ph/enroll. Voters need to enroll first in the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) before they can vote via the internet.

Overseas voting began on April 13 and will end on Election Day, May 12, 7 p.m., Philippine Standard Time (PST).

Asked how many overseas voters have already voted so far, Garcia said "madami-dami na rin (quite many)."

"Hindi na natin masabi ang bilang ng bumoto sapagkat bawal, ipinagbabawal sa batas," he said.

(We cannot reveal how many already voted because it is not allowed by law.)

Garcia urged Filipinos abroad who are registered voters to enroll in the OVCS so they can cast their votes via internet.

"Naku five minutes lang, makakapag-enroll na kayo. Two minutes lang, makakaboto na kayo. Kaya sana i-avail natin kesa pupunta pa tayo sa embahada o konsulada," he said.

(Just five minutes and you could enroll already. Two minutes, and you can vote already. So we hope you will avail of this [online enrollment] instead of having to go to the embassy or consulate to do so.)

The Comelec previously set the deadline on May 7 for pre-voting enrollment. The poll body extended it to May 10, and then May 12.

As of May 6, 2025, around 200,000 overseas Filipino voters had registered for the pre-voting enrollment system, weeks after the Comelec opened the registration period on March 20.

There are 69.6 million registered voters for the May 12 polls, and of that number, 68.4 million are in the country, while 1.2 million are overseas voters.

The polls will close at 7 p.m. PST on May 12 in polling precincts as well as via internet.

However, if an overseas voter has not yet cast his or her vote at 7 p.m. PST but is already logged into the online voting portal, he/she may still cast his/her vote until 7:15 p.m., according to Comelec's FAQs section on its website.

"The voter who is already logged in to the online voting portal at the close of voting may still cast their votes within fifteen (15) minutes. If the voter still did not cast the vote, he/she will then be automatically logged out of the portal. —KG, GMA Integrated News

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.

For more Eleksyon 2025 related content and updates, visit GMA News Online's Eleksyon 2025 microsite.