The number of Salvadorans living abroad participating in online voting has quadrupled compared to the 2019 elections, where only 4,800 compatriots cast their votes through postal ballots. The shift to online voting has seen this figure surpassed in just three days, according to Noel Orellana, a magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE).
Expressing satisfaction with the turnout, Orellana stated, “On Saturday morning, I announced that we had already surpassed the 4,800 votes obtained in the 2019 election when our compatriots had the right to vote by postal mail. We have now tripled or quadrupled the number of votes obtained. There has been much satisfaction from the diaspora due to the user-friendly nature and the facilities that the system provides for casting votes from abroad.”
In the 2019 elections, Salvadorans in the diaspora only had the option of voting via postal ballots to elect the president. This involved physically going to voting centers to mark the ballots, which were then sent to El Salvador several hours after the polling stations closed for counting.
The challenges of transporting these ballots over long distances resulted in a significant number of votes being excluded from the final results, rendering the participation of hundreds of compatriots ineffective.
In response to these challenges, the government of President Nayib Bukele initiated and passed the Special Law for the Exercise of Suffrage Abroad. This law introduced two new voting modalities for the diaspora: remote online voting and electronic in-person voting. Both aim to ensure the right to vote for Salvadorans abroad and facilitate their access to voting from any part of the world.
The online voting option commenced last Saturday, and after four days of active participation, it has encountered no significant issues that could hinder the process. The entire procedure is under scrutiny by prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Office to ensure the legality of the votes.
“With a team of prosecutors covering 24-hour shifts, we will fulfill the constitutional mandate given by the Attorney General to act as guarantors of legality,” affirmed Alma Campos, the electoral prosecutor.
This surge in overseas participation highlights the success of the government’s initiative to modernize the voting process, making it more accessible and inclusive for Salvadorans residing beyond the country’s borders.