Approx. 200,000 voters expected to register for next general election
NASSAU, BAHAMAS — More than 5,200 new eligible voters have registered for the next general election, according to the Parliamentary Registration Department.
As of yesterday, there were 186,763 registered voters, the vast majority of which account for those who registered for the May 10, 2017 general election.
In December, Parliament passed legislation to make the voters’ register continuous, paving the way for the 2017 voters’ register to become the current register.
A total of 181,543 voters registered for the 2017 General Election, according to the department.
Of that figure, 28,245 registered on the Family Islands; 29,515 on Grand Bahama; and 123,783 on New Providence.
A breakdown of the newly registered voters shows that since 2017, there are 174 fewer people registered to vote on the Family Islands.
As of yesterday, there were 28,071 people registered to vote on the Family Islands.
This decrease could be accounted for by voters moving locations and registering on other islands, deaths or removal from the register for other reasons.
There were 29,915 registered voters on Grand Bahamas as of yesterday, a difference of 400 since the last general election.
Meanwhile, on New Providence, there were 128,777 registered voters as of Wednesday — 4,994 more than there were in 2017.
Voter turnout
During a Parliamentary Registration Department virtual press conference yesterday, Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Lavado Duncanson said the department performed an assessment on projected eligible voters based on a number of factors, including the number of graduates during the period since the last election, and determined that between 20,000 and 30,000 additional voters will be eligible to vote.
He said the number of individuals who register in comparison to the estimated eligible voters will give the department an idea of the potential voter turnout in the next general election.
“Over the years, it has been estimated that approximately 5,000 persons graduated from high school,” the acting commissioner said.
“If you look at that figure over a four-year period, that amounts to some 20,000 individuals, on the low end.
“We know that education has indicated that approximately between 4,500 and 5,500 individuals graduate annually.
“So, if we look at the low end, we’re looking at between 20,000 and 30,000 persons graduating from school annually.”
Registration
Asked about electronic registration, Duncanson indicated that while the matter is part of ongoing discussions to improve the voter registration exercise, it is not the focus of the department at this time.
He was also asked about mail-in voting, and said: “We are focusing primarily on what is in existence at this time to ensure that the Bahamian population is provided with the safest, the most convenient opportunities to be facilitated as it relates to the ongoing voter registration exercise.”
When asked about the rollout of biometric cards, which was outlined in legislation passed last year, Duncanson said: “At this time, we are continuing with the exercise as was established up to this point. And so, the exercise with regard to the use of the paper card, the purple card continues.”
Duncanson said eligible Bahamians who did not register for the 2017 General Election or have moved to a different address can register or transfer their registration at the Parliamentary Registration Department on Farrington Road, the department’s sub-office in Freeport, Grand Bahama, or at administrators’ offices for those on the Family Islands.
He explained that seven centers will be established on New Providence and eight on Grand Bahama as of next week Monday.
The head office will operate from 9.30am to 8pm, Mondays through Fridays, and on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm.
The additional centers on New Providence and Grand Bahama will remain open between 10am and 4pm, and 5pm to 8pm, Mondays through Fridays, and on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm.
The centers on New Providence will include the main Post Office at Town Centre Mall and four other post offices in South Beach, Elizabeth Estates, Carmichael Road and Cable Beach, as well as the Grants Town Community Centre and the Parliamentary Registration Department head office.
In the third phase of the registration exercise, the department will conduct pop-up registration exercises and open registration to evenings and Saturdays in “strategic locations”.
The pop-up centers are expected to be launched in March 2021 and will operate between 5pm and 8pm Mondays through Fridays, and on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm.
To register, a person must present a Bahamian passport or an old voter’s card or a Bahamian citizenship certificate and birth certificate, along with government identification and their mother’s Bahamian passport or voter’s card.
