Comelec to conduct test Internet voting

MANILA – A total of 600 slots will be opened by the Office for Overseas Voting (OFOV) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for test voting using the Internet.

Applications will be accepted via https://tinyurl.com/yyq8tllq until April 30, according to the OFOV’s Facebook post on Friday.

“The Comelec, through the Office for Overseas Voting, will be conducting a series of live test runs of various Internet voting systems as part of an exploratory study on the use of Internet-based technologies for overseas voting in future elections,” the agency post read.

To qualify, test voters must be registered, whether overseas or local, and with active and complete registration records.

A smartphone (Android or iOS), tablet device, or laptop/personal computer with Internet access will also be required.

The voter must agree to the data privacy policy (DPP) and use of personal data for the test runs by signing the DPP consent form.

After signing up, the voter will wait for the schedule and video call from the OFOV.

“Comelec-OFOV personnel will schedule one-on-one video calls with those who completed the signup process to verify the voters’ credentials and confirm their consent to the data privacy policy,” the post read.

The consent form can be scanned using QR code or via the link https://tinyurl.com/k84dc4c6.

Meanwhile, overseas voting registration activities in local field registration centers of the Department of Foreign Affairs (Aseana) and National Capital Region West (SM City Manila), Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (Ortigas), and MARINA-SM Manila remain suspended until April 30 or while the modified enhanced community quarantine is in effect.