The Philippine election has started for Filipinos living abroad through overseas absentee voting. I exercised my power to vote last Sunday, April 10, so I can now share with you what to expect when you vote during the month-long overseas absentee voting.
All Filipinos living abroad, who have registered under the Overseas Absentee Voting, are now allowed to vote from April 10, 2022, until May 9, 2022. Make sure that you are on the list of registered voters of the Philippine Embassy you are under. In my case, I changed my voter registration from the Philippine Embassy in Seoul to the Philippine Embassy in Jakarta. For Filipinos in Indonesia, you can check your name in this certified list of voters. It shows that there are close to 3,000 registered voters here in Indonesia for this election.
Embassies will have the list on their respective websites, too. You need to check your name to make sure you can vote on the day you choose to cast your vote.
How to Vote and What to Bring
There are embassies and consulates that do personal voting or postal voting. It depends on the respective embassy so, you need to check this out.
We do personal voting at the Embassy here in Jakarta. The embassy is located at no. 8, Jalan Imam Bonjol, Menteng, Jakarta Pusat. The schedule of field voting for those who are far from Jakarta is updated on the website and the Facebook page of the Embassy.
We are only asked to bring our passports. In other countries, they are asked to bring their passport, their own pen, and even a printed confirmation email.
Ballot Forms
All along, I expected a ballot with the printed names of candidates. Apparently, this is not the case for all.
We are using the manual ballot system here in Jakarta. This is my personal experience with my husband and friends:
- I showed my passport and this was checked by an Inspector at the table. Another inspector, or poll watcher, looks for my name in the Voter’s Registration List.
- Poll Inspector hands me the ballot and asks me to sign my name on the Registration List.
- I proceeded to the table and write down the list of my chosen candidates. The manual ballot does not print the names of the candidates.
- Signed at the designated space after I wrote down my choices.
- I gave the ballot to the person in charge of the ballot box. Without opening my ballot, he tore the perforated portion. He gave me the bigger part and asked me to personally drop at the ballot box. Then, he dropped the smaller part at the lower portion of the ballot box.
- Done.
I would like to share that the ballot forms of the Overseas Absentee Voting vary. In countries or areas with a large number of Filipinos, they use the automated system. But in countries where there are fewer Filipinos like here in Indonesia, we are using the manual ballot system.
The manual ballot is as how I describe above where I need to write the names of the candidates. Whereas the automated ballot has all the names printed out, and the voter just needs to shade the oval corresponding to the candidate you choose. But these two are both official ballots. I just initially thought that all ballots are the same.
Let’s Exercise our Right to Vote
Here is the video when I voted last Sunday with friends here in Jakarta.
Please exercise your vote, too! For all of us Filipinos living abroad, we have until May 9 to cast our votes. Let us allow integrity, decency, and transparency in our government. Let us choose #LeniRobredo and #KikoPangilinan.
photo source: INQ , figures from COMELEC 2022
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That so good talaga mapapadali nalang ang pagvote very nice po! Kaya Vote Wisely talaga ! Go Go Na!
Since we never experienced it,the thing here is ,it may enlightened and it’s really informative and helpful to us. . ” let’s exercise our right to vote”
thank you for sharing this ms.wendy..choose and vote wisely..
Same po Ms. Wendy kala ko yung ballot is same lang kahit sa other country pag manual ballot po kasi katulad jan sainyo parang ang hirap so dapat pala may dala kana ng list ng bobotohan mo. Lalo na pag dating sa senator kasi ang dami dun nun baka may makaligtaan tayo. Yes po #lenikiko tayo🌸🌸Thank you for sharing po very informative 💯.
Thank you for sharing this . Very informative and very helpful tlga ito . Lalo na sa mga nsa overseas na boboto na . May idea na sila kung ano at paano ang gagawin ❤️
As responsible citizens, we need to cast our vote in the May elections. In every round of national elections, the Filipino people hope that it will give our country a good shift towards progress and development. 🌺🌸
Thanks for sharing this ms wendy. Very informative po talaga ito and talagang we should vote wisely because our vote is our power. Very helpful po itong blog nyo para sa mga boboto overseas. 🥰🌸
It’s interesting to know how our fellow Filipinos abroad exercise their vote. Thank you for sharing, and thank you for voting. It’s really important that we vote because this is something that can help our country in the next 6 years. Please stay safe there! xx
Very informative! I’ll forward this to my friends na nasa overseas. Hindi di kasi nila alam kung paano yung way ng voting nila.
So ganito pala kapag Filipino voter from outside Philippines. Grabe, additional knowledge sakin to. I am curious about OFWs since then on how they exercise their voting right.
Thank you for sharing this and I hope that more of our OFW’s will participate in this. The philippines badly needs voter participation and of course for the right leaders to be elected. #rosasangkulayngbukas
thank you for exercising your right to vote mommy wendy, even if you are overseas. your vote is much as important as ours. and nagulat ako na halos 1M pala ang mga overseas voters! My sis who’s in HK hasnt voted pa din sa kanya, madami pa daw kasi tao since holy week ngayon. I pray for what is best of our country. sana ibigay yun ni Lord.
PS. Sana parehas tayo ng boto.