Comelec eyes completion of printing of over 91M ballots for 2023 BSKE by mid-February

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is eyeing to finish the printing of over 91 million ballots for the October 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) by the second week of February, Comelec chairperson George Garcia said Friday.

"Kami po ay almost complete na sa lahat ng mga materyales. Ang atin pong mga balota ipi-print namin--lahat lahat ng 91 million ballots plus 'yung dagdag na mga balota na result ng registration na bago-- ng hanggang second week po of February," Garcia said at a televised public briefing.

"So that...ma-iship namin doon sa iba't ibang parte ng ating bansa kahit pa mas maaga doon... sa eleksyon ng October 30 ng taon pong ito," he added.

(We are almost complete in gathering all our materials for the elections. We will print all the ballots--the 91 million ballots plus the additional number of ballots for the new registrants-- by second week of February so that we can ship these paraphernalia to different parts of our country before the conduct of the BSKE in October 30 this year.)

Last Tuesday, Garcia said the poll body will continue the printing of the BSKE ballots before the end of January or after the printing of the ballots for the special elections  in Cavite.

He reiterated that the Comelec is prepared to hold the 2023 BSKE should the Supreme Court decide to set it at an earlier date.

Garcia said Comelec Commissioner Rey Bulay, the commissioner-in-charge for the BSKE, had ensured that all the materials to be used for the 2023 BSKE polls were delivered before the end of 2022.

In October, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. signed into law the measure postponing the December 2022 BSKE to the last Monday of October 2023.

Since 2016, the barangay and SK polls have been repeatedly postponed.

The October 2016 barangay and SK polls were postponed to October 2017. From there, it was postponed to May 2018, which was again reset to December 2022. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News