Imagine millions of first-time voters lining up to make their voices heard. That’s exactly what the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is aiming for ahead of the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on November 2.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said Friday the poll body will set up satellite registration sites to make enrollment easier, particularly for youth aged 15 to 24 who are eligible to vote for the SK.
“Based on our latest estimates, we expect to register four million new voters, with half of them—or about two million—coming from the youth sector. Our young people are eager to participate in the election process,” Garcia said during a voter registration activity in this town.
Garcia and senior Comelec officials also led a voter education campaign at the municipal covered court, reaching roughly 1,000 senior high school students and local officials.
“We have been visiting provinces to make voters feel their role matters. Every citizen deserves the opportunity to register and vote,” he added.
As of January 18, 2026, Comelec recorded 1,356,410 registered voters for the BSKE, including 1,028,835 regular voters and 327,575 SK voters. Registration, which resumed on October 20, 2025, will continue until May 18, 2026.
Voters may register any day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at satellite registration sites or their local Comelec office of the election officer.
The process covers new registrations, transfer of records, changes in name or status, corrections, reactivation, inclusion of records, and reinstatement of names on the voter list.
Comelec earlier set a nationwide target of 1.4 million new voters for the 2026 BSKE.
The elections were moved from December 1, 2025, to the first Monday of November 2026 after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. signed the law postponing the vote, with subsequent BSKE to follow every four years.
Photo Philippine News Agency
