The total number of registered voters in Negros Oriental for the upcoming barangay elections on October 28 has recorded an increase of about 30 percent, according to provincial election supervisor Atty. Eddie Aba.
This excludes the total number of youth registrants, aged at least 15 but below 18 before October 28, for the Sangguniang Kabataan polls which will also be held simultaneously on the same day.
According to Atty. Aba, records at the provincial office of the Commission on Elections show the total number of registered voters as of last and final count for both the barangay and SK elections was pegged at 854, 928.
Of the total, 799,275 are registered for the barangay polls, about 30 percent higher than that of the May 13, 2013 mid-term elections with 763,937 registered voters, he said.
This, even as the COMELEC has de-listed a large number of voters who failed to vote for two consecutive elections, Aba said.
Meanwhile, a total of 55,653 youths are registered for the SK elections but Aba could not give a comparison to the last count in the 2010 SK polls.
Negros Oriental has 557 barangays scattered in its three congressional districts.
It has 531 voting centers with 2,954 clustered group precincts for the SK polls and 2,438 for the barangays.
Of the six cities in Negros Oriental, Dumaguete City, the Provincial capital, has the highest number of voters at 78,391, followed by Guihulngan City with 72,113; Bayawan City, 69,250; Bais City, 58,874; Tanjay City, 51,777; and Canlaon City with 31,375. (PNA)
