By Elesha George
The Representation of the People Act (CAP 379) of Antigua & Barbuda necessitates voter roll maintenance. But over the years concerns have been raised about the legitimacy of the voters list.
In April 2023, three months after the last general elections, Prime Minister Gaston Browne and leader of the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) said on public radio that he had transferred voters to the constituents of his colleagues to assist in their victory at the polls.
A month later in May, Browne also said an investigation would be launched after Cabinet noticed an “unusually high” number of persons transferring into the St Peter constituency ahead of January’s general election. He said the constituency was compromised.
Still, last month, the government decided to forego a comprehensive re-registration of its voters’ list. Instead, beginning August 12, more than 40,000 voters across Antigua and Barbuda will begin the process of renewing their expired voter identification cards.
Word of the renewal process for expired cards came two months after the Antigua and Barbuda Electoral Commission (ABEC) announced a full-scale re-registration. The earlier decision to re-register voters was scheduled to begin in October 2024.
But the Supervisor of Elections, Ian Hughes, said the government no longer wanted to conduct full registration, citing higher costs and a lack of executive appetite for the process.
He explained, “There was no longer that appetite on the side of government to do it and of course government, having to be the movers of taking that bill to parliament, and the fact that it would require some parliamentary processes, and if you’re not willing to go through the various parliamentary processes in order to change and to make sure we have the legislation in place so that we can move forward with the registration exercise, we do what the law says.”
Without the support of the government, he said the Commission chose the legal option of renewal; a process which he said costs roughly three time less than the approximately $9 million needed for a full re-registration.
He also said the government raised issues with de-registering about 21,000 voters whose cards were not expired and some that would not expire until the year 2034.
Without the proper parliamentary process which ABEC has no authority over, Hughes said the Commission can only make recommendations which the government of the day can accept or deny.
“Parliament can go and make changes to the law without necessarily having to consult with the Commission which has been the case,” he said.
“Therefore, we can make a decision, a determination, and if the powers that be, the ones who have to take it to Parliament choose not to, what is our recourse? … There is nothing else stated there in law to say we can take the government to court,” he further explained.
Hughes also outlined efforts to make the Commission financially independent, noting, “That’s something that we continue to push for. We have written to this administration and the administration before regarding our independence and the fact that we need our money.
“Are you really independent if you do not manage your own money? The Commission is funded through the Consolidated Fund,” he added.
As for a looming legal challenge from the opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) against the decision for renewal, Hugh said that, too, will have to go through a process.
“It’s part of the processes. The Commission is no stranger to legal processes, legal challenges and if there is such a challenge, well persons have recourse within the courts.”
In the meantime, voters are asked to renew their ID cards at the registration unit in the constituency where their names appear. They must come in person and present an additional ID
ABEC Public Relations Officer Elisa Graham said voters will receive their new cards two weeks after they have applied to do so.
Meanwhile, voters in the diaspora whose cards have expired can also return to renew their IDs at any point before the next elections as the process is ongoing.
The next general election is constitutionally due in 2028.
