SAN FRANCISCO, USA – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco marked the close of the 30-day overseas voting period for the Philippine national elections on 9 May 2022 at 4 in the morning (Pacific time), with the highest ever voter turnout since overseas voting began in 2004.
Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Ferrer said that the Consulate registered a final turnout of 19,680 voters or 41.15 percent of its registered voters for this year’s elections. This turnout is significantly higher than the 14,380 overseas voters (31.02 percent) who voted in the 2016 Presidential Elections, and the 9,630 overseas voters (16.24 percent) who participated in the 2019 Senatorial Elections.
Consul General Ferrer said that the historic turnout among overseas voters in the 10 U.S. states under the Consulate’s jurisdiction “is a reflection of the immense desire of the Filipino American community in the U.S. Pacific Northwest to perform their patriotic duty, and take part in shaping the future of the homeland.”
“I commend and thank the 19,680-strong overseas voters in the U.S. Pacific Northwest for participating in one of the most consequential elections in our lifetimes,” Consul General Ferrer said.
“Our historic voter turnout would also not be possible without the collective efforts of our Consulate personnel who worked double time and overtime, even on weekends, to mail all postal voting packets and secure all accomplished ballots from U.S. post offices. We also recognize the involvement of our Filipino American community organizations and media partners in amplifying the Consulate’s call to vote,” Consul General Ferrer said.
“During the start of the overseas voting period, we promised that ballots accomplished by our registered voters will all be delivered to the Consulate. With this record-breaking voter turnout, I believe the Consulate delivered to its promise,” the Philippine Consul General added.
Following the arrangements previously made with the U.S. Postal Service, the Consulate’s Special Ballot Reception and Custody Group (SBRCG) on Saturday and Sunday 7 and 8 May 2022, retrieved the last batches of accomplished ballots from U.S. post offices.
Since 10 in the evening of Sunday, May 8, the Consulate’s Special Boards of Election Inspectors (SBEIs) have been busy feeding the remaining batches of accomplished ballots into the Commission on Elections-provided Vote Counting Machines (VCMs).
After feeding the very last ballot for the precincts, the SBEIs started with the printing of election returns and the electronic transmission of the results to the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C.’s Special Board of Canvassers. Copies of the election returns will be posted for public viewing at the Philippine Center’s Museo ng Lahing Pilipino on the 5th floor. There are 24 voting precincts under the Consulate, with each precinct consisting of about 2,000 overseas voters.
The Consulate covers the U.S. states of Alaska, Northern California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Northern Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and Wyoming. END