ROSEAU, Dominica – Following prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit declaration that general elections in Dominica will be within 100 days, the electoral office has issued the call for persons who are registered electors in Dominica to inspect the preliminary voters’ lists that have now been published in each polling district within the country.
“As required by the registration of electors act, the electoral office has placed physical copies of these lists in every one of the 100+ polling districts scattered across Dominica’s 21 constituencies.”
Chief elections officer Ian Michael Anthony encouraged persons to examine the list and assist the electoral office with making updates to the list before the November 1, deadline for accepting corrections and the November 19, deadline for accepting claims and objections before the publication of the final register of electors at the end of next month.
“The electoral office informs the general public that the preliminary electors’ lists are now posted in all of the polling districts across Dominica. And this is the time when we ask persons to scrutinize those lists, make sure that all is correct; the spelling of names et cetera and if they see any errors to bring it to our attention so that we may take the corrective action and we are asking that this be done by November 1, 2019,” Anthony continued.
“As it relates to Claims and Objections, the deadline to submit those is Tuesday November 19, 2019. All of this is ahead of the final publication of the final list of electors which will be on November 30, 2019,” he said.
Anthony pointed that electoral officers are stationed in every polling district and they are equipped with copies of the list for public viewing and assessment. He urged the public to make an effort to review the lists and submit documents where changes are needed particularly relating to instances of electors who may have passed away overseas.
“The preliminary lists of electors are posted within conspicuous places in each of the polling districts. Again, we ask the public to look at them carefully. Those lists as well can be inspected at the homes of the assistant registering officers for the various polling districts. The registering officers will have a list for the entire constituency and that can be inspected as well.
“We also take the opportunity to ask the public to assist us with updating information on persons who may have died overseas and we ask them, where they have that information, to channel the documentation, like a death certificate through either the assistant registering officer for the polling district or the registering officer for the constituency. In turn, those documents will be forwarded to the electoral office where we will make the necessary corrections,” Anthony said.
Anthony indicated that there needs to be urgency among non-electors to ensure that they are duly registered: “If you have never been registered before, the time is now. You do have to cast your vote however; you must first be registered and your name must appear on the register of electors. To get registered, you can visit the assistant registering officers within your polling district and begin that process.”
Objections to the inclusion of a person’s name in the register of electors for a polling district may be made by any person registered in that polling district. The objection must be on the prescribed form, in the objector’s own handwriting. Where the objector is unable to write, the form must be filled in the handwriting of the witness.
Persons 18 years of age and over, who are otherwise qualified are entitled to have their names included in the revised annual lists. Forms can be obtained from the registering or assistant registering officers for the constituency or polling districts, respectively.
