Despite news of the expected postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), 3,884 Negrenses registered to vote on Friday, August 1, the first day of the 10-day registration period.
The registrants were composed of 1,732 males and 2,152 females, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said.
Bacolod City saw the highest turnout, with 467 new voters registering.
The Comelec list of voter registrants in Negros Occidental on Friday*
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Bacolod aims to register about 500 voters daily. A long line of voter registrants were seen outside the SM North Block in Bacolod on Friday.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia announced on Friday that a bill to postpone the 2025 BSKE is expected to be signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. soon.
“The Palace informed us of the formal signing of a law fixing the BSKE term and postponing the elections on August 12 at 2 p.m.,” Garcia said.
The bill, which has already been approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, proposes moving the BSKE to the first Monday of November 2026.
If signed, subsequent elections would be held every four years thereafter.
Despite the impending legislation, Garcia said that Comelec will continue with its preparations for the Dec. 1, 2025 BSKE, until the postponement is officially enacted.*
Bacolod City voter registration venues*