Thorne again questions voters’ list integrity

Democratic Labour Party (DLP) leader Ralph Thorne again alleged irregularities in the voters’ list, warning as he presented himself for candidacy that citizens could be disenfranchised in the general election on February 11.   

Thorne did not present evidence of widespread issues but offered anecdotes and expressed unease with the functioning of the independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC).

Irregularities on the voters’ list had been brought to the party’s attention, he told reporters, adding that people had approached the DLP to report issues. Among the cases he cited were deceased persons still listed, individuals missing from the list, and a DLP candidate, Ensley Grainger of St Michael East, whose name had been removed. He also claimed that one of the children of late Prime Minister David Thompson had been omitted.

Speaking after his nomination at The Lodge School on Tuesday, Thorne said that since last year the government had been hastening the process of placing all eligible voters on the register, known as enumeration. 

Voting is a constitutional right for all Barbadians over 18, and not a privilege, he declared, adding that every citizen must be given the opportunity to participate.  

The DLP leader said the EBC had not been meeting as regularly as required and cited a recent meeting notice that was initially set for two hours, then reduced to one, before ultimately being cancelled without explanation. 

Thorne described this as “wrong and suspicious behaviour” and said it undermined public confidence. He added that protests by the DLP during a recent bus tour prompted the commission to reconvene, illustrating that the party’s vigilance has already influenced EBC actions.  

He emphasised that the party’s concerns are not political but about the democratic rights of all Barbadians. He said the DLP is willing to take legal action to protect voters’ rights and is closely monitoring the commission’s upcoming meetings. Thorne urged the EBC to extend deadlines for citizens to update the register, saying that Monday night’s deadline “was not sacred” and that all eligible voters must have the opportunity to participate, whether in Barbados or overseas.  

He also indicated that the DLP would provide updates following the commission’s reconvened meeting, stressing that “if it is one person who is disenfranchised, that is one too many. The rights of one person are as sacred as the rights of 50 000 persons, and that one person, if denied, democracy has suffered injustice”.