The long line of Bacolod residents waiting to register to vote in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections at Robinsons Place Bacolod Friday, July 22, with the deadline set at 5 p.m. Saturday.*Romeo Subaldo photo
The new voter registrants in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City hit 86,582 on Thursday, with almost half coming from the youth sector, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Friday, July 22.
The top five areas with the most number of registrants were Bacolod City with 8,812, Bago City – 5,777, Kabankalan City – 4,935, Cadiz City – 4,866 and Sagay City – 4,120.
The registration to vote in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on December 5 began on July 4 and will end at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 23.
There was an unusually high number of registrants with a huge turnout from those aged 15 to 17 years old, Ananoria said.
The youth now are more politically aware as seen in their active participation in the May national elections and perhaps because of influence of social media, he said.
“The youth will be a very big force in the 2025 elections,” Ananoria said.
There will be no extension of BSKE registration to give the Comelec time to prepare for the December 5 elections, he said.
Those waiting in line to register at 5 p.m. on Saturday will still be accommodated by the Comelec, he added.
He reiterated his appeal for those wanting to register to be patient as they will try to accommodate everyone.
If Congress postpones the December 5 polls the Comelec may start registering voters for the 2025 midterm elections in October, Ananoria said.
The following is the number of voter registrants in Negros Occidental and Bacolod City as of Thursday:
