The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has warned overseas voters against taking photos of their online ballots and sharing it on social media, as this constitutes an election offense.
In a media briefing, Atty. Ian Michel Geonanga, Deputy Head of the Office of Overseas Voting for COMELEC, reminded voters in the UAE to refrain from taking photos or screenshots of the list of candidates they voted for during online voting.
“Isa pong election offense yung pagpapakita kung sino man ang binoto natin. Bawal pong ipakita yung digital ballot itself,” Geonanga said.
“Tulad din po noon na laging paulit-ulit na sinasabi ng ating Comelec, na ‘wag picture-an yung balota, ‘wag natin siyang i-display o ipakita sa social media, ganoon din po dito sa internet voting. Hindi niyo rin po pwedeng ipakita kung sino yung binoto niyo,” he added.
This rule is covered under Section 195 of the Omnibus Election Code, which states that it is unlawful to exhibit the contents of a ballot to any person to identify whom a voter has chosen.
“It shall likewise be unlawful to use carbon paper, paraffin paper, or other means for making a copy of the contents of the ballot or make use of any other means to identify the vote of the voter,” it read.
Even a video tutorial on how to vote, despite its good intentions, is not recommended for posting on social media. If necessary, the names of the candidates should be blurred, Geonanga said.
“Nagpapasalamat po kami sa tulong ninyo para ma-educate ang mga botante natin, pero as much as possible i-blur niyo po yung binoto niyo. As long as nakikita siya, identifiable, that would constitute as an election offense,” he added.
“Iwasan po natin yung ganoong klase ng pag-share ng mga binoto natin sa social media,” he urged the voters.
The voting period for the 2025 midterm elections for overseas Filipinos will be held from April 13 to May 12, 2025, while the pre-voting enrollment for online overseas voting will run from March 20 to May 7, 2025.
