BARMM elections
Comelec Names UBJP, BFP Dominant Parties, Adds Photos to Bangsamoro Ballot
The Commission on Elections will roll out a redesigned ballot and updated voting materials for the first Bangsamoro parliamentary election on September 14. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the changes are meant to guide voters through a new system where they choose district, party, and sectoral representatives. The poll body tested the setup through simulated voting in the region, then named the United Bangsamoro Justice Party and the Bangsamoro Federalist Party as the dominant majority and minority parties under Resolution No. 11248.
Updated Ballot Materials
Comelec will print the September 14 ballots on 160 gsm paper, heavier than the 100 gsm stock used in the 2025 elections. The thicker sheet is meant to hold up better through handling and the counting machines.
The poll body also switched to a pen with oil based ink. Garcia said the ink dries faster, which should help the automated machines read each mark cleanly and cut errors during the count.
The counting machines will register an oval as a vote when at least 25 percent of it is shaded, up from the 15 percent threshold used in past elections.
Why the Redesign
Voters in the region face an unfamiliar ballot. They will select a district representative, a regional political party, and sectoral representatives on the same sheet.
Garcia said the photos and logos give voters a second way to confirm their choice beyond the printed name. The aim is to lower confusion and reduce invalid marks in a place voting for a regional parliament for the first time.
How the Parliament Is Chosen
The Bangsamoro Parliament has 80 members. Forty seats go to regional political parties through a party vote, 32 are filled by district representatives, and 8 are reserved for sectoral representatives.
The vote covers Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, Tawi Tawi, and Cotabato City, along with special geographic areas made up of barangays in North Cotabato. Sulu is no longer part of the region after a 2025 Supreme Court ruling removed it from Bangsamoro. The election completes the political track of the 2014 peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Testing Before Election Day
Comelec held a mock election on June 27 in several Bangsamoro areas to check the automated election system before the actual polls. The poll body declared the exercise successful, pointing to clean transmission of results, and said it let staff and voters run through the new ballot and materials under real conditions.
Officials said the trials are part of the preparation for the September schedule, which runs ahead of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections set for November 2.
Comelec ranks regional parties
Comelec Resolution No. 11248, promulgated July 8, named the United Bangsamoro Justice Party the dominant majority regional parliamentary party and the Bangsamoro Federalist Party the dominant minority party for the September 14 election. The poll body evaluated 11 regional parliamentary parties that applied for accreditation, scoring each on its ability to field candidates for both party and district seats, the reach of its municipal and city organizations across BARMM, and the number of women candidates and nominees it fielded. UBJP topped the rankings with 93.14 points, and BFP finished second with 88.25 points. The resolution also named nine other regional parties that qualified for official election privileges.
Garcia said the ranking determines practical privileges on election day, not the outcome of the vote itself.
Why the ranking matters
The dominant majority and minority parties get priority access to election returns, electronic transmission of precinct results as soon as voting closes, and seats as nonvoting members of provincial, city, and municipal boards of canvassers. They also get priority in appointing official watchers at polling places and canvassing centers.
Under the resolution, UBJP will receive the sixth printed copy of the election returns generated by the counting machines, while BFP will receive the seventh copy. Both parties will also receive electronic precinct results immediately after voting closes.
Verified facts
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