PORTALJABAR, SUMEDANG REGENCY - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi inspected the implementation of the Digital Electronic Village Head Election (Pilkades ElDigi) in Sumedang Regency on Wednesday (October 28, 2026). The inspection took place at Polling Station (TPS) 01, Cibeureum Wetan Village Office, Cimalaka District, from around 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. WIB.

During his visit, the Governor of West Java observed the digital voting process firsthand. He also interacted with residents at the polling stations and assisted in calling registered voters to exercise their right to vote.

KDM, Kang Dedi Mulyadi's nickname, also participated in discussions with Sumedang Regent Dony Ahmad Munir regarding the implementation of the ElDigi Village Head Election, including the differences in the number of voters in each village.

The ElDigi Village Head Election (Pilkada Desa) in Sumedang Regency was held simultaneously on October 28, 2026, in 92 villages, involving 295 village head candidates and 279,437 residents registered on the Permanent Voter List (DPT). This election was part of an effort to improve village head election governance through the use of digital technology.

The Head of the Community and Village Empowerment Service (DPMDesa) of West Java Province, Ade Afriandi, said that the implementation of the ElDigi Village Head Election in Sumedang Regency was an important step in encouraging digital transformation in village governance.

According to him, the implementation of the digital system has brought about changes in the voting mechanism. Whereas previously voters used ballots and nails, voting is now done using tablets, with users touching the screen to select their choices. The vote counting process is also integrated into the digital system.

"Thank God, the digital village head elections (Pilkada) in Sumedang Regency are proceeding according to the West Java Governor's directive. Ninety-two villages, with approximately 423 polling stations (TPS), are participating. The process, which previously used ballots and nails, has now shifted to using tablets, allowing voters to simply touch the screen to make their choice," he said.

He added that the use of digital technology is expected to make it easier for people to exercise their right to vote, while also supporting transparency in the voting and vote counting process.

Despite the use of digital technology, the principles of direct, general, free, and confidential (Luber) must still be upheld. Protecting voter and village head candidate data is also a crucial aspect of implementing digital-based village head elections.

"We hope that the implementation of the digital village head elections in Sumedang Regency will be the beginning of the implementation of digital systems in the implementation of village head elections throughout West Java, while still paying attention to technical readiness, data security, and ease of access for the public," he added.

The West Java Province DPMDesa continues to encourage the development of innovation in village governance, including the use of digital technology to support the democratic process at the village level.

Through the implementation of the ElDigi Village Head Election, local governments are expected to continue developing orderly, effective, transparent, and accountable village head election governance, while simultaneously strengthening the quality of public services that are adaptive to technological developments.