Electoral commission ‘to review constituencies’

By Emmanuel Joseph

The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) is considering a review of this country’s voters’ list to determine if it needs to revisit the current shape of the nation’s 30 constituencies, a senior government official has told Barbados TODAY.

The official, who spoke to Barbados TODAY on Wednesday on condition of anonymity, said that the EBC will be conducting an exercise to validate the addresses of residents living in the various constituencies.

The exercise comes amid shifting demographics as more Barbadians move out from heavily populated urban areas while rural parishes begin to take on a more suburban character.  

“You are going to verify the addresses, delete people who you find to really have [died],” the official source said. “The determination is whether a review is required, the way you determine how many people are registered in constituencies. That is what needs to be revised. There are constituencies right now that have more electors in them than what the legislation says they should have.”

The senior public officer identified St Philip as one of those growing areas, noting that people are leaving St Michael and taking up residence there.

“Many of the ones in St Michael now have [fewer] electors than the legislation says they should have. So, it may just be moving a boundary line to even out the 30 constituencies, which might not require any addition or subtraction but an evening out. So, it could be any of those three things or maybe you just have to look at what the law says about how many people should be registered. There are a number of ways to look at it.”

Electoral authorities have announced their intention to remove some 2 085 names of people presumed to be dead from the National Register and the Register of Electors.

In a notice published in the press on Tuesday, the EBC said it intends to consider the deletion of names of persons from the Register of Electors published on January 31, and from the National Register as well.

Before the commission removes these names, it wants people at home and abroad to confirm that any of the individuals listed are indeed dead. They have until Friday to provide the information to the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The commission said that information should be submitted to the office at Level 1, Warrens Towers 2, Warrens, St Michael. The list is available on the EBC’s website at www.electoral.barbados.gov.bb.

The Register of Electors is continually updated by adding the names of eligible voters as well as by deleting the names of those who no longer meet eligibility requirements, such as the deceased and those who have been absent from Barbados for a period exceeding five years, with the exception of foreign service officers who are stationed abroad.

As far as the National Register is concerned, there is also a continuous National Registration System under the Barbados Identity Management Act 2021, where all citizens who are resident in Barbados, as well as citizens of other countries who have been permitted to remain here for a period of not less than six months, may be registered.  

Everyone who meets the requirements and is registered is issued the Barbados identification card. 

emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb