Comelec urges Congress to pass Internet voting bill

MANILA, Philippines - Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes urged yesterday Congress to pass a law allowing Internet voting to encourage more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to participate in national elections.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Diamond Hotel media forum, Brillantes said that half a million OFWs registered in the 2010 polls, but only 172,000 actually voted.

“Congress should come out with legislation allowing online voting,” he said.

Comelec aims to reach the one-million target of registered absentee voters for next year’s elections.

Meanwhile, Brillantes also asked Congress to pass a bill that would provide for absentee voting for members of the media who are away from their places of registration on official assignment on the day of elections.

“Instead of (Comelec) issuing a resolution, Congress should pass this bill (absentee voting for journalists),” he said. “We don’t want to preempt Congress.”

Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal had filed a petition on behalf of media practitioners to allow them to vote early in next year’s elections.

Under existing laws, a person has to be physically present in the polling place where he or she is a registered voter to be able to cast his or her ballot.

Republic Act 9189, the Overseas Absentee Voting Act, allows qualified Filipino citizens abroad to register and vote during national and local elections.

RA 7166, the Local Absentee Voting Act,only allows qualified government officials and employees, including members of the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police, who are duly registered voters, to vote in places where they are not registered as voters but where they are temporarily assigned to perform election duties on election day.