THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is targeting the registration of at least two million young voters for the 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) scheduled on Nov. 2.
In an interview on Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the poll body will establish satellite registration sites to make the process more accessible, particularly for the youth.
“Based on latest estimate, we will be able to register four million new voters, and half of them, or about two million, are youth who will vote for the SK (Sangguniang Kabataan). Our youth are willing to participate in the election process,” Garcia told the Philippine News Agency. SK voters are aged 15 to 24.
Garcia, along with other senior Comelec officials, led a voter education drive in Basey, Samar, attended by about 1,000 senior high school students and local officials.
“We have been going to provinces to make them feel that they are important. We want to give each voter the chance to register and vote,” Garcia said.
As of Jan. 18, 2026, Comelec recorded 1,356,410 registered voters for the BSKE, including 1,028,835 regular voters and 327,575 SK voters.
Voter registration resumed on Oct. 20, 2025 and will run until May 18, 2026. / PNA