Director of Elections, Danville Walker

Plans are well advanced by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) to introduce a new Elector Registration Identification Card in 2008.

Speaking at a JIS 'Think Tank' on June 21, Director of Elections, Danville Walker said that, "the new card will look a lot 'prettier', have more security features and will contain the individual's address and date of birth, a feature that the existing card does not have."

According to Mr. Walker, the EOJ has done fairly well with the cards over the past 10 years and has had to testify a number of times that persons have attempted to duplicate the cards. "It is very easy for the EOJ to identify duplicates," he told JIS News, adding that "the new cards will also allow banks to easily identify fake ID cards."

He also noted that persons are now required to collect all cards at their respective electoral office, as the EOJ would no longer distribute them to the homes of individuals. "Once the voters list is published then the cards are sent to the office," he explained, adding that "the EOJ will then write a letter to the persons who are just coming on the voters' list, informing them that the cards are ready to be picked up."

Mr. Walker further pointed out that the existing Elector Registration Identification Card, which is about 10 years old, could be used until their expiry date on December 31, 2007.

Commenting on the voters' list, which is published in March and November of every year, he said the EOJ has done an excellent job in creating the list, which he maintained is without contest. This position, he informed, has been arrived at as a result of partnerships among all the stakeholders and the EOJ.

"When the voters' list is published twice a year, it is not a surprise to anyone. They [the stakeholders] are given a preliminary list before for revision and are asked to submit any additions or deletions. When this is done, we meet with them to resolve the differences before the final list is published," he indicated.

The voter registration process, he informed, was continuous. However, persons who were not already on the March 2007 list would not be able to vote if the general election is called before November, when the next list would be published.