60-day trial period for online voting eyed

OVERSEAS voters may have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) before casting their votes for the May 2025 national elections.

In a phone interview, Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the poll body is looking at having a 60-day trial period for the OVCS from February 12 to April 12 next year.

“Once you are able to enroll, there is a trial period of 60 days. You can try repeatedly on how to vote, and it won’t be an official one yet,” said Laudiangco.

“The trial period will run right until before the start of the voting period. When the voting period starts, the trial period will end,” he added.

The poll official said the trial period aims to allow overseas voters to be more informed and educated on the online voting system.

“This is for familiarity purposes. We are giving them the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the system,” said Laudiangco.

During the trial period, he said overseas voters will use test ballots and will not involve official candidates.

Laudiangco said overseas voters who will participate in the 2025 polls through internet voting are required to pre-enroll, which will run from February 12 to May 12, 2025.

On the other hand, the casting of votes for overseas voters will be from April 13 to May 12, 2025.

The 2025 elections will mark the first time that the internet voting system will be utilized by the country.

The OVCS will be provided by the Joint Venture (JV) of SMS Global Technologies, Inc. & Sequent Tech Inc.