Parliamentary Elections Bill passes in the House

While debate on the Parliamentary Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2020, took several unexpected turns yesterday, with one MP excoriating his party and an opposition MP getting into a shouting match with the government over crime statistics, the bill was passed shortly after 7 p.m. without any opposition. 

Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Leader Philip Brave Davis raised concerns over the integrity of a permanent voting register, which the bill seeks to create, based on the current one.

However, Minister of National Security Marvin Dames, who lead debate on the bill, assured that voter fraud will be “kept to a minimum”.

The bill will effectively abolish the five-year register and replace it with a permanent one.

“Mr. Speaker, the amendments reflect that the genesis of the continuous register is the register established in 2017 which has a core of over 187,000 registrants,” Dames said.

“…The replacement register incorporates all voters on the current register, which is the 2017 voter register and will be amended to include, as noted, new voters and transfers and will be revised to remove dead voters, persons incarcerated and those not qualified to remain on the register.”

Dames added, “This change will eliminate the need for long lines and reduce the costs of registering the same persons every five years. Shorter lines mean better adherence to social distancing, as recommended by the World Health Organization and other leading scientists, and a decrease in the spread of COVID-19. Less expense means more funds to achieve other national goals for our people which has never been so important.”

Displacement

However, while maintaining that the opposition is supportive of the bill and the move to a permanent register, Davis said a number of issues arise with the plan to use the current voter register as the basis for a permanent one.

He pointed to the displacement of a significant number of people since the last election as a result of Hurricane Dorian and the economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Dames said the integrity of the register need not be a concern.

“The existing act and the amendments are replete with provisions which require continuous enumeration and review of the register by the parliamentary commissioner,” he said.

“Consequently, the integrity of the continuous register will be preserved as was the integrity of the quinquennial register by these statutory checks and balances and by the vigilance of all stakeholders.

“If processes are diligently followed and stakeholders remain vigilant, voter fraud will be kept to a minimum.” 

20,000 new voters

It is projected that no more than 20,000 new voters will need to be added to the register, the minister said. 

Davis said yesterday that with those numbers, crowds will still be an issue during registration.

“Instead of having eight registration centers, which would attract a cluster, why not have 16 or maybe 20?” he said.

The bill notes that a person registered as a voter on the current register “shall remain registered as a voter entitled to vote at an election on the continuous register, unless his name is removed from the register by the parliamentary commissioner” because the person has either died, is found ineligible to vote, or has an objection to his registration as a voter.

While the bill provides that those who registered to vote in the previous election will not have to register again, anyone who has moved between constituencies will have to apply to have their registration transferred, and have their voters’ cards amended to reflect the changes.

People who have died or are no longer qualified to vote will be removed from the register.

Dames said the parliamentary commissioner will be able to access the register of births and deaths. Undertakers, morticians and funeral home directors will also be required to submit a monthly list of people whom they buried, according to their names, dates of birth and death, addresses and occupations. The National Insurance Board (NIB) director will also be required to submit a list of people for whom death benefits have been claimed.

Dames said the commissioner of corrections will be required to report all those convicted and serving terms of imprisonment or under a death sentence.

Dames noted that the bill provides “for all revisions and amendments to the register to be published in an addendum quarterly, mainly on March 31st, June 30th and December 31st”.

“These quarterly updates and revisions of the register will be incorporated and published,” he said.

The post Parliamentary Elections Bill passes in the House appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/parliamentary-elections-bill-passes-in-the-house/