The Overseas Absentee Voting Act (Republic Act 9189) has allowed Filipinos working and living overseas to participate in the country’s electoral process. While overseas Filipino voters account for a small portion of the voting population, their votes become significant considering the tight political contest among presidential candidates in the May 2022 national elections.
This paper offers policy insights and recommendations on OFWs’ voting preferences based on exploratory online research conducted during the pandemic. The study examines the views of OFWs on the 2022 electoral process, their preferred means of voting, the information sources they access, the qualities they look for in a presidential candidate, and the issues they think should be prioritized by the next presidential incumbent.
Findings show that: (1) the majority of the respondents are interested to vote in the May 2022 elections; (2) most prefer online voting, especially during the pandemic; (3) news, social media, family and friends, and online communities are sources of information that help shape their voting preferences; (4) online Filipino voters favor a presidential candidate who first and foremost is incorruptible and trustworthy; and (5) respondents identified graft and corruption, pandemic response, health, employment, and education as main issues the next administration should address.
It is recommended that policies to ensure the integrity, safety, and convenience of the voting process be prioritized to encourage more overseas Filipino voters to take part in the upcoming elections. Legislation and infrastructure support for online and postal voting should be put in place as these alternative modes of voting are preferred by overseas Filipino voters, especially during the pandemic. Campaigns to promote media literacy are essential to enable OFW voters to make wise decisions in exercising their democratic right to vote.
