Political parties now have the final updated Electoral List in hand and members of the public will be able to view hard copies from tomorrow, Chief Electoral Officer of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC), Sherland Turton, confirmed amid mounting political tension over the integrity of the voters’ register ahead of the February 11 General Election.
Turton’s disclosure comes against the backdrop of strong criticism from leader of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) and St John candidate Ralph Thorne, who has repeatedly raised concerns about what he described as irregularities in the voters’ list, including the alleged removal of eligible voters and the inclusion of deceased persons.
On Nomination Day, January 27, Thorne warned that thousands were at risk of being disenfranchised with little time for correction.
“A list of over 8 000 persons was published to be disenfranchised and they were given a matter of days to have that rectified. That is not right,” he said.
Thorne said DLP members were approached by citizens who believed they had been wrongly removed from the register, including people who were “alive and resident in Barbados”.
He said his party had lost confidence in the EBC’s operations and would closely monitor the process.
“We are prepared to go to the courts of this country if necessary. If it is one person who is denied the right to vote, democracy has suffered an injustice,” Thorne declared.
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley responded to the criticism by pointing out that the DLP is represented on the EBC by deputy chairman Hal Gollop KC and commissioner Maxine McClean.
Providing an update on the list last night, Turton said the final revisions were completed on Friday.
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