President and political leader of the Democratic Labour Party, Ralph Thorne, was among those unable to cast their vote in the 2026 General Election today in Barbados.

Thorne, who has resided in Christ Church East for more than 20 years, was registered to vote in Christ Church South. His wife was able to successfully vote at the Sons of God Spiritual Baptist Church at Ealing Grove where he failed to find his name on the voters’ register.

“I have not lived in Rendezvous since 2004,” Thorne told The Nation.

“They were urging me to go to Rendezvous to vote, but the position I take is that to vote in Rendezvous is to commit fraud, certainly as it relates to my address. So I consider that I have been denied the right to vote due to an administrative error by the Electoral and Boundaries Commission.”

Thorne, the Leader of the Opposition, was one of the foremost voices drawing attention to irregularities with the electoral list. Across the constituencies, there were reports of others who either dropped off the list, were registered in another constituency or at a different polling station.

Names of some deceased were also said to be on the list

Thorne said he was disappointed.

“It is just another one of the many errors that the EBC has committed today because it appears as if many, many people have been denied the right to vote today, but the position I take is that if one person is denied that right, that is one person too many.

“Letters have gone out to deceased persons. I have received copies of two letters inviting deceased persons to vote, and they have died five years ago.

So it is clear that in the mad rush to conduct an election, the EBC has been caught in a state of unpreparedness, and that unpreparedness has resulted in the disenfranchisement of many people today,” Thorne added.

“We feel vindicated, though, that we took the position that the process was rushed, and it was rushed to the disadvantage of too many people.” (SAT)