00:00From the comfort of this migrant shelter in New Taipei City, Filipinos Mina Makarag and Robert Ganado are casting their online ballots for midterm elections in their homeland, over a thousand kilometers away.
00:14It's the first time Filipinos abroad get to vote via the internet, and Taiwan is one of only 77 trial locations.
00:23It's convenient, they say, but also concerning.
00:26It's easy, actually. It's efficient, it's quick, but at the same time, there's not much guarantee of transparency to it.
00:35More than 1 million Filipino voters are overseas, 2% of the country's total voting population. 50,000 of them are in Taiwan.
00:45Back home, more than 18,000 seats are up for grabs, from the National Senate down to local representation.
00:51Since 2004, overseas voters have been able to participate in the polls.
00:58But they had to send a physical ballot to designated posts, or appear in person at Philippine embassies and consulates.
01:06But that's now changing.
01:08People can also cast their votes through their personal devices through these kiosks here at the Manila office in Taipei,
01:15where they can receive support from the de facto embassy staff.
01:19While some have touted online voting as the potential future of elections,
01:23others fear that this innovation could hinder democracy itself.
01:27With concerns circulating of potential fraud and a lack of transparency,
01:32the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei has assured Filipino voters that the process is safe and reliable.
01:38First and foremost, this is encrypted.
01:42This does not depend on internet.
01:45There are two contractors.
01:48One that is doing the operational,
01:52and there is another independent contractor that is checking,
01:55I mean acting as a check and balance on the system.
02:02But voters here remain divided.
02:04Reports have surfaced of glitches, where voters can't select their desired candidates.
02:11While others are upset, their finished ballots are hidden behind encrypted QR codes,
02:16which can't be accessed until the last online voting day,
02:20leaving some to worry if their ballot was cast correctly.
02:25You can't check if you cast the correct vote.
02:28Meanwhile, if you write it on paper, you can really see the receipt.
02:31For me, I also have doubts.
02:34But let's just trust the process,
02:36because it's the responsibility of every Filipino to vote.
02:40Their anxieties aren't unfounded.
02:43Philippine elections have a complex history marred by irregularities and allegations of fraud.
02:48But despite the complexities of online voting,
02:52poll watchers like Contra Dayah or Against Fraud
02:54are not totally opposed to the idea of making it more broadly available.
02:59Now, do we welcome it?
03:01Definitely, but there has to be transparency and predictability in the process.
03:08Now, similar to the automated counting machine,
03:12we also demand genuine source code reviews for internet voting.
03:18And of course, between proprietary software and open source,
03:23we prefer open source.
03:25The Philippines Electoral Commission is hoping that half of all overseas voters show up to vote.
03:32But with just days to go, only 12% in Taiwan have cast their votes.
03:37Experts say that glitches and lack of information about online voting must be addressed
03:42before that target can be reached.
03:45And to make sure that this step towards convenience
03:48does not instead leave voters behind.
03:51Yishen Chen, Kamashu, Sandy Chi, and Gino Lopez for Taiwan Plus.
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