By Kate Giordan Flores
After a historic record-low voter turnout in 2025, the Silliman University Student Government (SUSG) Committee on Elections (COMELEC) eyes to prioritize more accessible and consistent dissemination of election information this year.
According to SUSG COMELEC Chairperson Charlynne Claire Garcia, the committee aims to reach absent or inactive voters through a collaborative effort with student councils.
“COMELEC plans to focus on reminders and accessible information that keep students informed about election timelines by the college councils, and reminders through formal channels,” she said.
SUSG President Grylle Adrian Malala also shared that they will launch information drives to equip voters with knowledge of governance roles and the impact of their participation.
“Student apathy remains a primary factor in the declining voter turnout, alongside limited awareness of student government roles and responsibilities,” he said.
Garcia furthered that voter apathy will be addressed through transparency on the effect of student leadership on campus.
“Students need to understand that the student government is not just about leadership, but it has a direct impact throughout their time here at Silliman,” she said.
Moreover, she confirmed that the voting modality for the elections will remain online this year due to constraints in manpower and logistics for physical voting.
Decreasing voter turnout
Last May 2025, the SUSG COMELEC logged a 12.53-percent turnout after only a total of 1,238 out of 10,847 students participated in the online voting,
This came after the committee faced technical complications with the COMELEC Quiz Course which pushed back the elections for a week from May 7 to May 16.
The said turnout was more than a 50-percent drop from 2024’s 28.6-percent with 2,937 voters out of 10,266.
From 2017 to 2020, the turnouts also recorded less than half of the population, with 2020 as the highest at 38.1–percent.
In 2021, the Virtual Halalan was introduced, reaching a record-high 55.5–percent, with 8,894 voters, and an absentee voter turnout of 44.5–percent.
However, this was followed by a drop of 16.5–percent in 2022, but rose again to 53–percent by 2023.
The Virtual Halalan is the annual general online election of the SUSG initiated to adapt to the digital environment during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
The filing of candidacy for the 2026 SUSG elections begins on Feb. 2 while the election day is scheduled on March 11.
