US-Israeli Tech Powers First Fully Digital Global Vote for Overseas Filipinos

In a global first, more than 1.2 million overseas Filipinos cast their votes entirely online in the recent Philippine national elections, using a secure digital voting system developed by Sequent, an American-Israeli startup focused on cryptographic voting infrastructure.

Commissioned by the Philippines Commission on Elections (Comelec), the system enabled registered voters in 77 countries to verify their identity and vote via desktop or mobile, eliminating the need to travel to embassies or consulates. The move marks a significant shift in how diaspora communities can participate in national democratic processes.

Sequent’s platform uses biometric authentication and cryptographic protocols to ensure voter privacy and ballot integrity. Votes are cast and tallied through a system that generates mathematical proofs, allowing for full verification without exposing voter identity or selections. Built on open-source code, the platform is designed for transparency and public auditing.

During the election, the system supported independent verification of results, enabling a recount-like process that could be completed in under five minutes and without the need to rely on the vendor or any central authority.

Historically, overseas voting has been hampered by logistical and accessibility challenges, often requiring long-distance travel. Sequent’s digital approach removes these barriers, making participation faster, easier, and more secure—an effort aimed at boosting turnout and restoring trust in election systems.

Though this marks Sequent’s first deployment in a national election, the company’s voting technology has been used in more than 200 elections worldwide, serving over 3.6 million voters in universities, municipalities, political parties, unions, and other institutions. The company reports that the platform lowers per-voter costs from around $10 in traditional setups to under $2.

Founded in 2021 and operating from offices in Israel, Spain, the U.S., and Canada, Sequent designs its infrastructure to meet global election standards, including frameworks from Canada, Germany, and the U.S. The platform also includes safeguards against malware and supports full, independent audits—even without access to internal system data.

While Sequent and Comelec are calling the rollout a success, the broader question remains whether digital voting at national scale can gain wider acceptance. For now, the Philippine case offers a working model of what secure, accessible, and auditable online voting could look like in the future.