ROXAS City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will implement nationwide early voting hours for vulnerable sectors for the May 2025 midterm polls.
“This means from 5 to 7 in the morning, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and pregnant women will exclusively cast their vote,” said Comelec chair George Erwin Garcia during a recent interaction with Capiz media.
“Sa buong Pilipinas po natin gagawin ito at ito ay inaalay natin sa ating mga nakatatanda at may kapansanan upang kahit paano hindi sila makasabay sa pagboto nong karamihan, hindi sila nasasagi, naiinitan, nauuhaw, at naghihintay sa haba ng pila sa ibang presinto,” he noted.
“The upcoming election will be historic because we will also conduct the first-ever internet voting for our countrymen abroad,” the Comelec chief noted, adding that Filipino voters overseas just need a cellphone, laptop, or iPad to vote.
In 2022, only 40.59 percent of the 1.697 million registered overseas voters were able to vote, but it is already a record-high in overseas voting based on Comelec records.
“We have to enhance democracy through modern technology,” added Garcia, who was in Roxas City to lead the demonstration of the new voting machine before a thousand students in the Capiz Gym and convey the updates on the preparations for upcoming elections.
He added that Comelec considers the year 2025 as a super election period because they are also preparing for the first-ever Bangsamoro Parliamentary Election in time with the May 12 polls and the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections. (PIA Capiz)
