The commune is administered by the municipality in Villa O'Higgins, the principal settlement.

[4] According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, O'Higgins spans an area of 8,182.5 km2 (3,159 sq mi) and has 463 inhabitants (277 men and 186 women), making the commune an entirely rural area.

[1] As a commune, O'Higgins is a third-level administrative division of Chile administered by a municipal council, headed by an alcalde who is directly elected every four years.

[citation needed] Within the electoral divisions of Chile, O'Higgins is represented in the Chamber of Deputies by René Alinco (PDC) and David Sandoval (UDI) as part of the 59th electoral district, which includes the entire Aisén Region.

The commune is represented in the Senate by Antonio Horvath Kiss (RN) and Patricio Walker Prieto (PDC) as part of the 18th senatorial constituency (Aisén Region).