Comelec ends BARMM voter registration with over 161K applications

The voter registration for the first-ever Bangsamoro parliamentary elections (BPE) ended with more than 161,000 applications, higher than the target of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of registering 150,000 new voters. 

Based on the data shared to reporters, Comelec said a total of 161,429 registered to vote for the BPE as of March 31 — the deadline for the voter registration period. Of the figures, 78,972 were female and 82,457 were male.

Lanao del Sur recorded the highest number of registrants at 50,918. This includes 454 registrants who applied through the Register Anywhere Program (RAP) sites.

Maguindanao del Norte followed with 31,666; Maguindanao del Sur with 26,175; and Basilan with 21,734. 

The Special Geographic Area (SGA) in Cotabato reported 16,505 registrants, while Tawi-Tawi recorded the lowest number of registrants with 14,431, including the 623 applicants who registered through the RAP sites. 

The Comely resumed the voters' registration in the Bangsamoro region on February 9. It was initially scheduled until March 30 but was extended it until March 31, 2026. —VAL, GMA News