Names Not on the Voters’ List Was an Issue for Referendum Day

There were several issues raised with the Observer Group as matters of concern. Some potential voters were reportedly being denied the franchise as a result of the inability to produce their required voter re-registration documents from the Office of Vital Statistics. The concerns also included the adequacy and sufficiency of voter education and the lack of regulations and appropriate provisions for legal challenges in the Belize Referendum Dispute Referendum Act, 2019. During referendum day, voters complained that while they had their voter’s ID with them, they were not on the list. Ingraham was asked if the observer group received similar reports.

Hubert A. Ingraham

Hubert A. Ingraham, Former Prime Minister of Bahamas

“What we observed at the polling stations were that there were large number of persons who did not have their pass who had registered who cards were in place at the centers who were issued their perhaps, who were directed to polling stations to go to and in some cases some constituencies. We did not observed persons who have a card and whose name did not appear on the register. We did not experience that. But now that you mentioned it to us we will make inquiries.”

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group are from Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Jamaica, Kenya, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda and the United Kingdom. The group is composed of specialists from across the Commonwealth with backgrounds in election management, law, gender, civil society, media, politics, and academia.