PH Embassy Kuwait Prepares for 2019 Midterm Elections

 The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait conducts the final testing and sealing of vote counting machines to ensure that all systems are up to date and running. (Kuwait PE photo)

 KUWAIT 17 April 2019 – The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait intensified its preparations for the upcoming overseas absentee voting for the 2019 midterm elections on 13 April - 13 May 2019.

 “Soon, overseas voting starts. Go out and vote. It is your right, it is your chance, it is for our country, ” said Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. in a video statement. Secretary Locsin was the principal author of the Overseas Voting Act and was also its chief proponent in Congress.

 With more than 96,000 registered Filipino overseas voters, the Embassy’s challenge is on how to increase the voter turnout for this upcoming election, and has step-up its overseas voting omni-media campaign by tapping its media partners, to meet this challenge.

 “Let’s all vote! Let’s not waste this opportunity to choose our leaders. It’s our civic duty. We can vote for 12 Senators and a party-list representative. The Embassy will be ready to assist you. Please check your name at the Certified List of Overseas Voters that is uploaded in our website and social media page” said Chargé d’ Affaires (CDA), a.i. to Kuwait Mohd. Noordin Pendosina N. Lomondot.

The Embassy held an echo-training entitled “Overseas Voting Training for the General Instructions in the Conduct of the Automated Election System (AES) for Purposes of the May 13, 2019 National Elections” in Riyadh. 

 It aims to refresh the skills acquired, and to train other Embassy officer and personnel to learn more about overseas voting, and perform their respective functions as members of the Special Board of Canvassers, Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group, Special Board of Election Inspectors, Canvas Consolidation System Operators and Vote Counting Machine Operators.

 The Embassy also conducted the Final Testing and Sealing (FTS) of Vote Counting Machines (VCMs) to ensure that all systems are up to date and running. This included procedures, like diagnostics, open-voting, close voting, and re-zero of the VCMs. The FTS was opened to the general public and attended by members of the Filipino community and media. They were given a chance to have a walk-thru of the election process and experience firsthand on how to vote, from the shading, inserting and casting of the ballot, and printing of the vote receipt. END

Participants during the mock election (Kuwait PE photo)

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait holds an echo-training entitled “Overseas Voting Training for the General Instructions in the Conduct of the Automated Election System (AES) for Purposes of the May 13, 2019 National Elections” in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. (Kuwait PE photo)

For more information, visit www.kuwaitpe.dfa.gov.ph, www.philembassykuwait.gov.kw, https://www.facebook.com/PEinKuwait/, or https://twitter.com/PHinKuwait