THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will reopen voter registration from October 20 to May 18 next year, giving Filipinos seven months to register ahead of the November 2026 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.
Comelec Chairman George Erwin M. Garcia said the registration period will be open to all Filipinos nationwide, except those residing in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
‘This registration is applicable nationwide for all types-reactivation, transfer, new registration, and updating of records,’ Garcia told reporters in an interview.
Garcia explained that registration in BARMM will resume only after the Bangsamoro parliamentary elections, noting that only those registered for the 2025 midterm polls will be eligible to vote.
‘We want to avoid confusion among those who might think that registering now will allow them to vote in the BPE,’ he added.
Registration will be held on Mondays to Saturdays, including holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at all local Comelec offices nationwide.
Under the guidelines, any Filipino who is not yet a registered voter may apply, provided that he or she is at least 18 years old on election day, have lived in the Philippines for at least one year, have resided in his or her voting area for at least six months before the elections, and is not disqualified by law.
Applicants must present a valid identification card, such as a PhilSys National ID, Postal ID, Persons with Disability ID, student ID signed by a school authority, or senior citizen ID. Other acceptable IDs include driver’s license, National Bureau of Investigation clearance, passport, Social Security System or Government Service Inusrance
System ID, Unified Multi-Purpose ID card, Professional Regulation Commission license, Intergrated
Bar of the Philippines ID, or a Certificate of Confirmation issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples for members of tribal communities.
Beyond local offices, Comelec will also launch its Register Anywhere Program (RAP) from October 20 to 21, running from 8:00 a.m. To 5:00 p.m. at Mabini Hall in Luneta Park, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila’s University Activity Center, and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX).
The commission earlier said that it expects up to 1.4 million applicants during the seven-month registration period.
In August, a 10-day registration drive by the commission drew 2.8 million new registrants nationwide.