Comelec to re-open voters’

registration for BSKE 2023

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct 18 (PIA) –The Commission on Elections (COMELEC) expects more voters registering for the rescheduled local polls in 2023, as the government resets the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) as it affords the poll body some more time.

Anytime, the Comelec picks up where it left off in registering new voters and revalidating old registered voters, to have a more inclusive BSKE by November 23, 2023.

Up for the new list are soon to be SK members who would be turning 15 by November 23, 2023, those decommissioned voters for missing to vote in the last elections and those who are returning from abroad.

Comelec Supervisor Atty. Eliseo RZB Labaria bared this during the recent Kapihan sa PIA, which also formally announced the official postponement of the December 5, 2022 to the last Monday of October next year.

“When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed Republic Act 11935, it effectively stopped all out preparations for the BSKE and would allow us to pick up on the voters’ registration, which we stopped for the August 1 Election Registration Board Hearing,” Atty. Labaria who came to the radio forum a day after Malacanang officially released the postponement document to the media.

While the local Comelec said were about 70% prepared for the December polls, information which the election body shared revealed that for the First District (Bohol District 1), regular voters increased by 13.07 % or 41,949 since December 18, 2017 Election Registration Board (ERB) Hearing.

The total number of regular voters as of August 1 ERB hearing was 326,329 for Bohol District 1.

For the second District (Bohol District 2), Regular Voters in the December 2017 ERB increased by 14.30% or by some 45,643.

From 273,472, the regular voters as of August 1 ERB hearing is 319,114 for Bohol District 2.

In the Third Congressional District (Bohol District 3), Regular voters in December 2017 bloomed to 12.31%, reaching 326,329 with the 40,179 new regular voters registered.

From 286,150 in December 2017 ERB hearing, regular voters upped to 326,329 supposedly for the December 5 BSKE, which has been postponed.

As for the SK for Bohol District 1, from 100,797, the voters registered for the 2022 elections had it pushed through has increased by 14,646 to 115,443 which is equivalent to 12.86%.

For Bohol District 2, SK voters in the last 2017 ERB hearing also increased by 17,684 or from 108,231 to 125,915 voters to the reset December 2022 local polls.

Some 14,956 voters were also added to the 110,521 SK voters in Bohol District 3, making the young voters for the polls in 2022 now at 125,477.

Over-all, Comelec said Bohol regular voters are now at 966,162 and its SK voters are now at 366,835 for a total of 1,332,997.

This is 175,057 more voters than those who turn-out on the final list of voters for the May 14, 2018 BSKE, as to the Comelec. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)

PICK UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF. Comelec Bohol Supervisor Atty. Eliseo Labaria bared that when the government reset the December 5 BSKE polls, it also effectively stopped the poll body to continue its pre-election preparations and switched on its continuing voter registration. Comelec follows a definite time schedule in the preparations for the country’s local and national polls, plebiscites and the like. (PIABohol)