West Java Regional Council prepares for simultaneous digital village head elections in six regencies
Bandung (ANTARA) - Commission I of the West Java Regional Council (DPRD) is finalising the implementation of the 2026 simultaneous digital village head elections (Pilkades), which are scheduled to take place in stages across six regencies.
The Chairman of Commission I of the West Java DPRD, Rahmat Hidayat Djati, stated in Bandung on Thursday that the implementation of electronic voting technology (e-voting) using tablets and closed local networks is expected to increase budget efficiency and the accountability of democratic processes at the village level.
“Digital village head elections are an inevitability to achieve budget efficiency, transparency, and to minimise opportunities for fraud. We in Commission I of the Westting Java DPRD continue to encourage the Department of Community and Village Empowerment (DPMD) and regency/city governments to ensure that technical preparations on the ground proceed maturely without obstacles,” said Rahmat.
Based on updated data from Commission I of the West Java DPRD, the 2026 simultaneous digital village head elections will be held in Bekasi, Cianjur, Sumedang, Karawang, Subang, and Ciamis regencies.
Bekasi Regency is scheduled to hold voting on 20 September 2026 in 154 villages, while the inauguration of the elected village heads is scheduled for 4 November 2026.
Cianjur Regency is scheduled to hold the elections on 18 October 2026 in 47 villages spread across 23 sub-districts. The use of a paperless system based on tablets with a closed local network in the area is projected to save up to Rp2.5 billion in the budget.
Furthermore, Sumedang Regency is scheduled to hold the elections on 28 October 2026 in 93 villages.
Karawang Regency is scheduled to hold voting on 22 November 2026 in 67 villages spread across 25 sub-districts, preparing 438 digital polling stations (TPS). The inauguration of the elected village heads is scheduled for 14 December 2026.
Meanwhile, Subang Regency is scheduled to hold the elections on 6 December 2026 in 165 villages, and Ciamis Regency on 13 December 2026 in 40 villages.
Rahmat noted that the application of technology in the village head elections must be balanced with the readiness of local network infrastructure and guarantees of data security to prevent issues during implementation.
“The technology must be secure, the organisers must be neutral, and the community must be assured that their voting rights are protected. These three elements are vital components that must be monitored together,” said Rahmat.
According to him, the digitalisation of village head elections is not merely about following technological developments, but is also an effort to increase budget efficiency, transparency, and the accountability of the election process.