3 things you need to know about Philippine elections in Dubai

UPDATE (May 4):
Voting schedule at the Philippine Consulate Dubai is extended:
May 5, 6, 7, 8 - 8am til 12MIDNIGHT
May 9 - 5am til 1pm


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UAE has the second largest number of overseas Filipino voters, next to Saudi Arabia.  There are 122,185 registered voters in Dubai and 72,437 in Abu Dhabi. Credit that to the mandatory OAV registration as part of the OEC application and passport renewals in the past recent months.

A 100% turnout would make a huge and significant impact to the number of votes for president, vice president, and senators.

What you need to know and do:

1. Voting period is April 9 to May 9
Schedule is as follows (UPDATED as of May 4):

Dubai, Philippine Consulate
- April 9 to May 4: 8am to 9pm
- May 4 to May 8: 8am to 12mn (including Thursday's holiday)

Abu Dhabi, Philippine Embassy
- April 9: 8am to 4pm
- April 10 to May 8: 9am to 5pm

On May 9 voting will coincide with the Philippine election day schedule, so all precincts will open 5am and close at 1pm.

2. You only need Voter's ID, or if you don't have one,  your Emirates ID or passport copy
- Give your ID to the officials and wait for your turn to vote.
- Officials will verify your name on the voters list. You will be asked to sign beside your name.
- An SBEI-signed ballot will be given to you and the inspector will brief you how to fill it up the right way.
- Completely shade the circle next to the candidate's name using the provided marker.

Do not overvote. Your vote will NOT BE COUNTED at all. Be careful not to write any unnecessary marks on the ballot to avoid machine readability issues.

* If you want to get your voters ID, check your name on the list here. Print the copy or take a screenshot - you must give the batch number where your name is listed and the sequence number. It shouldn't take more than 5 minutes if you have these info with you.

3. Check your VVPAT receipt
Insert your ballot into the vote-counting machine. You will get a printed receipt called Voter Verified Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) with a list of your votes. Check all info and if there are discrepancies on your ballot and the receipt, inform the inspectors right away. If all is correct, drop the receipt to the designated box.

That's it. NO INDELIBLE INK on your finger. It's useless because the voting period is one month anyway.

It shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.

Don't bring a pen. Taking photos inside the booth is highly prohibited.

There is a huge banner outside the consulate if you want to take selfies - that could be the last step. :-)

Think of them when you vote, the kids and Jose Rizal

Free shuttle service is available if transport from and to the Consulate Office is a problem on May 6.  Just call 0559508489 to verify if your name is in the COMELEC list.

#BotoKabayan



God bless the Philippines!