Comelec: 74M voters expected in 2028 polls

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said 74 million registered voters are expected to be able to cast their ballots in the 2028 National and Local Elections.

“We are projecting an additional three million voters. Kung sakasakali po pagdating po ng 2028, meron po tayong 74 million [voters],” Comelec chairperson George Garcia said during the agency’s Senate budget hearing.

(We are projecting an additional three million voters. If ever, by 2028, we are expected to have 74 million voters.)

He added that by November 2028, an additional one million voters are expected to vote for the 2028 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).

Comelec is seeking a P44.7-billion budget for 2027, which was reduced by 34% to P29.5 billion.

The poll body is currently drafting the terms of reference for the voting machines to be used for the 2028 NLE as it plans to procure new units.

Last week, President Ferdinand Marcos signed into law a bill that postponed the BSKE to 2028 and extending the term of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan officials from four to five years.

With this move, Garcia said the poll body will open voter registration by the second week of November this year, until June 30, 2028.

“Pag nag-reset tayo ng BSKE, lagi po kaming hihingi ng dagdag na budget. Kasi po dagdag na botante, dagdag na presinto, dagdag na electoral board members, dagdag na election paraphernalia,” Garcia said.

(If we reset the BSKE, we will always need to request additional funding because more voters mean more polling precincts, more electoral board members, and more election paraphernalia.)

The poll body had said that it already spent P8 billion of its P19-billion budget for the BSKE, adding that some election supplies, including indelible ink, may go unused if the BSKE is postponed.

Comelec is hoping that Congress would allow them to use the BSKE budget for the NLE.

“Maibabalik po namin yung P9.2 billion na nawala kay Comelec para sa national and local elections,” Garcia said.

(We can restore the P9.2 billion that was taken away from the Comelec’s budget for the national and local elections.)

TRO vs BSKE postponement

Earlier today, election lawyer Romulo Macalintal filed a petition with the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the issuance of a temporary restraining order TRO against the postponement of the BSKE in November 2026.

In his petition, Macalintal asked the Court to issue a TRO or a status quo ante order directing the Office of the President, through the Executive Secretary, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to refrain from implementing Republic Act (RA) No. 12326.

Aside from this, he asked the SC to declare the law inoperative, invalid, and/or unconstitutional in so far as it pertains to the postponement of the BSKE.

Should the BSKE be pushed through on November 2, Garcia said, "Mukhang hindi namin kaya ang November 2. However, the Comelec always has the power to declare the postponement of elections.”

(It looks like we won’t be able to meet the November 2 schedule. However, the Comelec always has the power to declare a postponement of elections.)

Under the Omnibus Election Code, Comelec can postpone an election if there is terrorism, violence, or force majeure.

The filing of the Certificate of Candidacy for the BSKE was initially scheduled from Sept. 28 to Oct. 5, 2026. —RF, GMA News