Legislation to amend the Parliamentary Elections Bill is before parliament as the country pushes to join others in the region with the establishment of a permanent voter register.
The permanent register will create adjustments for those who have died, changed an address, or new voters; and put strong demands in place for key areas like the national insurance board, and the registrar general’s office to create the names of people who have died.
Minister of National Security, the Hon. Marvin Dames says the goal is to eliminate acts of fraud in the system.
“Paragraph seven of article 70 of the constitution allows for new constituencies to be established and boundaries for constituencies altered along with complementing new polling divisions to be established or the boundaries of polling divisions altered.
“In other words, section 27 subsection one requires the parliamentary commissioner to make the necessary alteration or correction to the continuous register of voters where the boundary commission makes alteration revisions or corrections to boundaries” he said.
The legislation also gives the parliamentary commissioner leeway to make adjustments to the voter register.
“Sub-section four of amendment 27 allows the parliamentary commissioner to make additions, deletions, alterations or corrections to the register for persons registering or transferring from constituencies or polling divisions.
“Sub-section five allows the parliamentary commissioner to duplicate the same alterations or corrections to the counter-falls of the voters card for persons requiring alterations or corrections in the register” Minister Dames said.
