West Java Regional Parliament Commission I Promotes Village Digitalisation, Preparations Underway for Village Head Elections in Six Regencies
In anticipation of the simultaneous Village Head Elections (Pilkades) scheduled for 2026, the West Java Provincial Parliament’s Commission I, in collaboration with the West Java Provincial Village Community Empowerment Agency (DPMD), is continuing to finalise the transition of the election system towards a digital era (e-voting). This step is considered crucial for delivering village-level democracy that is more transparent, effective, and accountable.
The Chairman of Commission I of the West Java Provincial Parliament, Dr. H. Rahmat Hidayat Djati, M.I.P., held an evaluation and coordination agenda with partner agencies. He stated that the implementation of digital-based election systems across various regencies must be monitored comprehensively, ranging from network infrastructure readiness and the validity of voter data to cybersecurity guarantees.
“Digital village elections are an inevitability to achieve budget efficiency, transparency, and to minimise the potential for fraud. We in Commission I of the West and Java Parliament continue to encourage the DPMD and district/city governments to ensure that technical preparations on the ground proceed maturely without obstacles,” he asserted.
SIX REGENCY UPDATES
Based on the results of the latest evaluation and data updates, the official schedule for the 2026 Simultaneous Village Head Elections has been distributed across several regencies in West Java.
In Bekasi Regency, the election will be held on 20 September 2026, with the inauguration scheduled for 4 November 2026. Preparations for the digital election system are being implemented in 154 villages to accelerate the modernisation of village administration.
In Cianjur Regency, the polling date is set for 18 October 2026. The election involves 47 villages across 23 sub-districts, employing a paperless concept based on tablets and closed local networks. This method is projected to save up to Rp2.5 billion in budget costs.
In Sumedang Regency, the election will take place on 28 October 2026, involving 93 villages. The term of office for the elected village heads will refer to new statutory provisions, which is 8 years.
Meanwhile, in Karawang Regency, polling will be held on 22 November 2026, with the inauguration of results on 14 December 2026. The election will be conducted in 67 villages across 25 sub-districts, with the preparation of 438 encrypted digital polling stations.
In Ciamis Regency, polling will be held on 13 December 2026. This event involves 40 villages that are currently optimising the stages of preparation and socialisation of the digital system.
In Subang Regency, the election will be held on 6 December 2026, involving 165 villages, featuring pilot implementations of digital methods in several locations with a specific emphasis on the neutrality of village officials.
According to Rahmat Hidayat, through the synergy between the West Java Parliament and the DPMD, the implementation of these simultaneous village elections does not only focus on technological innovation. “It also involves strengthening multi-layered security alongside law enforcement agencies to ensure that security stability at the village level remains well-maintained,” he concluded.