The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is hopeful to at least meet its projected number of voter applicants for the 2025 midterm elections.

Comelec chair George Garcia said Saturday that they are 700,000 away from their targeted three million voters.

The deadline for registration is on Sept. 30.

“Mahaba pa. Three million ang projection namin. Meron pa kaming 700,000 na hinahabol at baka sumobra pa (It’s still a long way. Our projection is three million. We are going after the remaining 700,000 or more),” he said in an interview.

As of April 26, 2024, the total number of applications have reached 2,397,555, with 1,240,410 of them females.

Of the total, Garcia said about a million are new voters.

Region IV-A or Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) posted the most applications at 439,842, followed by the National Capital Region with 357,801.

Completing the top five are Region III (Central Luzon), 276,199; Region VII (Central Visayas), 171,942 and Region XI (Davao Region, 130,632).

The Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR), on the other hand, recorded the lowest number of registrants at 30,086, followed by Region IV (Mimaropa) at 58,623 and Caraga with 63,587. (PNA)