July 24th, 2017 -- Based on the frequency of comments made to me, it is clear that the single most important aspect of this whole electoral thing is the desire to go into an election with a “clean” electoral register. In this article, therefore, I will introduce the readers to the army of men and women whose job it is to clean up the register and to keep it clean.
There are eleven Registration Officers, one per constituency. They are, from 1 to 11, Keithley Blanchette, Michelle Liburd, Lawson Archibald, Icilma Pemberton-Fyfield, Jeffery Berry, Leroy Jones, Joyce Julius, Clifford Pemberton, J Calvin Fahie, Chrispin Hendrickson and Althea Jones. These are the field officers. Four women, 7 men. All well respected within their communities, and all independently chosen by me.
In addition, several office staff serve as Assistant Registration Officers. Both Office Managers, Patrick Williams & Ernestine Rawlins, along with Dianne Warner & Aisha Samuels are Assistant Registration Officers.
A clean list, we have come to realize in one in which voters are placed in the constituency that they reside in. The public has a role in this, a huge role. When the monthly lists are produced and published, the public has a responsibility to look at that list to ascertain who their neighbours are. And if they see people listed as neighbours who they know are not their next door neighbours, then they can raise an alarm. That alarm, if verified by the Registration Officer, would prevent the activation (i.e. acceptance) of the fake neighbor.
If perchance, a slip up occurs, then the publication of the annual list presents a second opportunity for scrutiny. That is the period traditionally set aside for claims and objections and hearings.
But there is a third opportunity, but this one is mostly assigned to the Supervisor of Elections as the Chief Registration Officer, and is recorded at section 29 of Part IV of the Fifth Schedule of the Regulations. It is a continuous process, just like continuous registration. Here, in part, is what it says:-
Where the Chief Registration Officer has reasonable cause to believe that there appears in the list of voters the name of any person who is not qualified for inclusion in such list or that any insertion in respect of a person who is not entitled to be included in such list has been made, he or she shall hold a special revision to investigate such case.
The Chief Registration Officer shall give at least five days’ notice in writing to such person of the time and place at which such revision will take place and at such time and place consider the eligibility of such person to be included in the list of voters.
If the Chief Registration Officer decides that the name of such person should not be included in the list of voters, he or she shall delete the name therefrom and initial the deletion.
The Chief Registration Officer shall publish a list of the names of persons deleted as aforesaid at the time of the publication of the next Monthly List for the polling division.
Here is where and how you can help. Tell me of any such persons and I will be obliged to investigate. Tell me, because like me, you want one man, one vote in the right place and fairness for all. Together we can clean up the list!
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