The 2025 Philippine mid-term elections marked a pivotal experiment in democratic innovation: the first nationwide deployment of an Online Voting and Counting System (OVCS) for overseas voters. Implemented across 77 jurisdictions, this reform sought to address the long-standing barriers that have limited electoral participation by the Philippines’ 12-million-strong diaspora. Drawing on data, legal analysis and interviews, this report examines the rationale, design and outcomes of this initiative, its achievements and controversies and the lessons it offers for digital enfranchisement in complex political environments.

Beyond the Philippines, the report situates this experience within the broader global discourse on remote and special voting arrangements, contributing to International IDEA’s work on migration, mobility and democratic inclusion. It is intended for policymakers, electoral management bodies, legislators, researchers and practitioners exploring secure and inclusive pathways to extend suffrage in an increasingly transnational world.