Negros Occidental logs 2.7 million voters for BSKE 2025

By Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reported that Negros Occidental is preparing for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) with 2,701,740 registered voters.

Of the total, 2,035,554 are regular voters aged 18 and above, while 666,186 are Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) voters between 15 and 30 years old.

Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria noted a significant rise in registered voters despite the abbreviated registration period from August 1 to 10.

Out of 78,000 submitted applications, around 40,000 were approved, contributing to the increase.

Negros Occidental accounts for nearly half of the 4.1 million BSKE voters across the Negros Island Region, highlighting its electoral influence.

The figures were based on the Election Registration Board (ERB) hearing held on August 25, pending final confirmation from the Comelec Central Office.

In comparison, the May 2025 midterm elections had 2,009,564 registered voters in the province.

Comelec also announced the establishment of 5,789 clustered precincts across 747 voting centers, primarily in schools.

As the BSKE will be conducted manually, each precinct will handle up to 800 voters, fewer than the 1,000-voter limit in automated national elections.

The BSKE was originally scheduled for December 1, 2025, but was postponed to November 2026 under Republic Act No. 12232.

However, a petition challenging the law’s constitutionality remains pending before the Supreme Court, with a request for a temporary restraining order still under deliberation.