Comelec: Over 1.3M registered for 2026 BSKE

More than 1.3 million people have applied to register for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), moving the Commission on Elections (Comelec) closer to its national enrollment targets.

Data released by the poll body on 18 January showed 1,356,410 individuals have filed applications since nationwide registration resumed on 20 October. Of the total applicants, 718,457 are female and 637,943 are male.

The commission reported that 1,028,835 applicants are regular voters aged 18 and older, while 327,575 registered for the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) youth council. Among the youth sector, 322,402 are first-time SK registrants.

Region IV-A (Calabarzon) recorded the highest turnout with 271,033 applicants, followed by Central Luzon with 159,473 and the National Capital Region with 157,421.

The registration period is scheduled to run until 18 May. Comelec officials previously stated they are targeting 1.4 million new voters during this cycle.

Under the current schedule, registration sites are open Monday through Sunday, including holidays, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at local Offices of the Election Officer and various satellite sites.

The program covers new registrations, transfers of records, reactivations and corrections of entries.

However, registration is currently suspended in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following the postponement of its first parliamentary elections.

The upcoming BSKE was originally scheduled for December 2025. In August, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a law moving the polls to the first Monday of November 2026, with subsequent elections to be held every four years.