How will local absentee voting work in the 2022 Elections?

Local absentee voting is a way Filipinos can still cast their vote while at the same time, performing important their job related to the elections. With the expected changes in the conduct of the 2022 Elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there might also be some changes to the process of local absentee voting.

In this article, we’ll break down how local absentee voting will work for the 2022 Elections. The information contained within this article is lifted from the Comelec Resolution 10725, which was released on October 29.

Who are eligible to apply for local absentee voting?

If you are any of the following, then, you are eligible to apply for the local absentee voting.

Government employees or officials who, on the day of the elections, are detained or assigned to another locality where you are not a registered voter to oversee or facilitate the conduct of elections

 Members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police (PNP) who have been assigned to an area wherein they are not registered voters to perform their duties relating to order and security

Members of the media who, on the day of the elections, are unable to vote because they are covering and reporting the conduct of elections; these include media practitioners, the technical and support staff, and other media-related job positions

 Local government officials who will be detained abroad during the day of the elections may also vote via the local absentee voting option provided that they are registered voters who are not registered as overseas absentee voters

How to apply for local absentee voting

As per the usual yearly conduct of local absentee voting, eligible applicants who may wish to avail of this voting option should file the forms to Comelec. At the time of writing, the forms have not yet been made available, but as stated in the Resolution, these “application forms shall be under oath.”

Moreover, please be mindful that you should file your forms no later than March 7, 2022.

Please keep in mind that the forms of media practitioners and staff should be accompanied by a certification stating that the person mentioned in the forms is a bona fide member of the media and may not be able to vote due to performance of news coverage and pursuit of information during the elections. This certification must be accomplished by the heads of the media companies in which the person mentioned in the forms works for.