By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental has gained 7,297 additional registered voters for the 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) on November 2, as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) expressed satisfaction with the increase in the voter turnout.

However, Comelec-NegOcc said the increase fell short of their target of expanding the province’s voter population by five percent.

Data presented by the Comelec – Negros Island Region (NIR) showed that the province now has 2,016,861 registered regular voters following the June 1 Election Registration Board hearing, up from 2,009,564 during the May 2025 midterm elections.

Despite missing the agency’s growth target, Comelec-NIR Elections Director Lionel Marco Castillano said the voter registration gains came even after 113,776 names were removed from the voters’ list for failing to vote in two consecutive elections, as provided under election rules.

He said the updated figures reflect continued public participation in voter registration despite the significant number of delisted voters.

Meanwhile, the province has 683,385 registered SK voters who are expected to participate in the village polls./CCJ, WDJ