THE Department of Foreign Affairs – Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS) said that despite numerous challenges on the conduct and management of elections overseas, Philippine Embassies and Consulates General have pulled through, with the 2019 midterm elections having the highest voter turnout for any Senatorial and Party List election.
On Thursday, the DFA-OVS met with officials from the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to discuss preparations for the closing tomorrow (May 13) of the month-long overseas voting for the 2019 Senatorial and Party-List Elections.
DFA-OVS Acting Vice-Chair Edgardo Castro the high number of voter turnout is due to the efforts of Embassies and Consulates General to encourage Filipinos overseas to register as voters, which was evident when the number of registered overseas voters climbed up to 1.8 million.
This record-breaking number is expected to bring the 2019 midterm elections second only to the 2016 Presidential elections, which saw the highest voter turn-out in the history of overseas voting since the Overseas Absentee Voting Act was signed into law in 2003. The DFA-OVS is now preparing for the arrival of the Special Board of Canvassers Chairs in Manila, who will bring the actual election returns from the Philippine Embassies and Consulates after tabulating the results in their areas.
