GECOM considering proposal for cameras in polling stations, biometrics feasibility study

…additional, legal safeguards in place to ensure integrity of elections

In preparation for the 2025 General and Regional elections, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is considering proposals for installing cameras in polling stations and a biometrics feasibility study to enhance safeguards against misconduct.
On Wednesday GECOM’s spokeswoman Yolanda Ward responded to the matter raised by the Alliance For Change (AFC) regarding election safeguards. AFC, which was previously part of APNU that had attempted to rig the 2020 National and Regional election, has been calling for biometrics such as fingerprints to be implemented by GECOM for the next elections.
However, GECOM warned that they cannot make such a significant change to electoral procedure unless there is legislation to back it up. Indeed, the addition of ID cards in the 1997 elections, was one of the grounds on which the validity of the entire election was overturned in court and even that electoral change came from an act of parliament.
“Whereas this call from the AFC is nothing new, it is necessary for the Commission to remind all political stakeholders and by extension the general public that (GECOM Chairperson) Justice of Appeal (Ret’d) Claudette Singh has repeatedly emphasised that the Commission’s operations are guided by the laws of Guyana,” GECOM explained.
“It is of paramount importance to recall that, in so doing the GECOM Chairman has emphasised that GECOM cannot and will not act outside of the extant statutory provisions pertaining to the conduct of National Registration, Local Government Elections and General and Regional Elections. More specifically, it must be emphasised that the introduction of biometrics requires legislative changes and, until such is enabled, GECOM cannot proceed with implementing such a feature.”
GECOM did assure, however, that there are multiple safeguards already in place to protect the sanctity of the elections… safeguards enshrined in law. Moreover, the commission is already examining the question of biometrics.
It was revealed that a feasibility study was conducted on introducing fingerprint scanning, a form of biometrics. That study, according to GECOM, is currently being examined by the commissioners.
“Over an extended period of time, the chairman facilitated discussions on a Motion that was moved by one Member of the Commission proposing the introduction of digital fingerprint capture during registration, and the introduction of biometric fingerprint identification of voters at polling stations.”
“Discussions on the Motion, by the Commission, led to a decision being taken for a Feasibility Study to be conducted into the viability of introducing digital fingerprint capture and the use of biometrics in line with the Motion. The Feasibility Study has since been completed and copies have been circulated to all members of the Commission for perusal and subsequent deliberations,” GECOM outlined.

Cameras
In addition, a proposal is being considered by GECOM, from Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Vishnu Persaud, for cameras to be placed in polling stations. These cameras, GECOM noted, would be placed in positions where they could record what happened in the polling stations, while maintaining the secrecy of the ballots.
Until these proposals can be implemented, however, GECOM reminded of the safeguards at their disposal, including political party agents at each polling station and the identification process for voters. There is also the use of indelible ink, the counting of ballots before reps from all the parties and local and international observers.
There were also concerns raised about the integrity of the Official List of Electors (OLE) but GECOM assured, however, that the voters lists are sanitised and updated through Claims and Objections Exercises. Additionally, in accordance with the National Registration Act, the CEO has been writing to the Chief Medical Officer and the Commissioner of Police, for periodic updates on deceased persons. This allows GECOM to further sanitise and keep the register of voters updated, in a legal way.
“As it relates to the AFC’s posit that “updating the voters list is crucial for ensuring the integrity of the electoral process, it is of significant importance that we remind all concerned of the decision by the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George-Wiltshire pertaining to the removal of names of persons from the National Register of Registrants Database (NRRDB) i.e., the records from which all voters’ lists are extracted,” GECOM said.
“This decision of the Chief Justice (ag) was never appealed. Accordingly, GECOM cannot update the NRRDB or any list, or any list extracted therefrom, except by way of the existing legal provisions. GECOM routinely updates the NRRDB on the basis of reports in relation to deceased persons that are received from the General Register Office by flagging the records of the concerned deceased.”
Voting on election day in the 2020 General and Regional elections went off almost without a hitch. What happened after, however, were the desperate attempts by A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) to cling on to power.
The then government is alleged to have colluded with senior GECOM officials to rig the elections results – a move which plunged Guyana into five months of political deadlock, before President Dr. Irfaan Ali was finally able to be sworn in as President. As a consequence, a number of former GECOM staff are before the Magistrate’s court on charges of electoral fraud.
They include former Returning Officer for Region Four, Clairmont Mingo; former Chief Elections Officer (CEO) Keith Lowenfield; his former Deputy, Roxanne Myers and GECOM employees Sheffern February, Enrique Livan, Michelle Miller and Denise Babb-Cummings. Also before the court are current APNU Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence and PNCR activist Carol Smith-Joseph. (G3)