GECOM’s continuous registration: Almost 7000 new eligible voters registered

…exercise going well – Commissioner

The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), which started continuous registration two weeks ago, is reporting almost 7000 new voters and over 12,000 persons in all being captured.
According to one GECOM Commissioner, this is indicative that the exercise is going well.
Based on figures provided by GECOM, the continuous registration exercise resulted in 12,896 persons being registered and a total of 17,062 transactions. In an interview with Guyana Times, GECOM Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward explained that this figure includes 6620 persons who are 18 years and older and are therefore eligible to vote.
The remainder was 6276 persons between the ages of 14 and 17 years and they would be provided with identification cards once they have gone through GECOM’s procedures. They will vote when they eventually reach 18 years of age.
Meanwhile, the other transactions included 683 persons who did transfers to new addresses, 1997 who did changes and corrections to their particulars and 1194 persons who did replacement IDs.
In an interview with this publication, GECOM Commissioner Bibi Shadick noted that while the exercise was going well so far, it was early days yet. Shadick pointed out that a surge of persons towards the end of the exercise was likely.
“We get a progress report every week… so far, it’s going well. But I do know people. They don’t go right at the beginning. They know they got 12 weeks, so they’ll wait until 12 weeks are done. But I do know, too, because I have a law office and people come in to notarise (documents) and so, that people are getting their names in order so that they can go get registered,” she said.
The continuous registration process, which started early in March and is being done at all 28 permanent registration offices, is necessary to update the List of Electors and pave the way for the hosting of Local Government Elections (LGE).
According to GECOM, this registration exercise is of crucial importance to first-time applicants. These are regarded as those persons who were 14 to 18 years old when they were registered during the 2019 House-to-House exercise.
GECOM stated at the time that “all such persons are required to note that their application for registration has been cancelled. Therefore, those persons are required to reapply for registration during this registration exercise.”
Any person, who will be 14 years or older by October 31, 2022, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalisation or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more can apply for registration, provided that he or she was never registered before.
They are required to visit the GECOM registration office responsible for their area of residence with the relevant source documents: original birth certificate, valid passport, adoption certificate, or naturalisation certificate in the case of new registration.
For change of name, the original marriage certificate or deed poll with birth certificate is required. Existing registrants, who are desirous of updating their records, such as a request to correct or change their names, date of birth, occupation or update their addresses are advised that those transactions would also be facilitated during this exercise.
It is also understood that GECOM is looking to have an updated voters’ list in place by October, in order for the LGE to be held. The last time GECOM conducted continuous registration was in 2019, in preparation for the March 2020 General and Regional Elections.
More than $750 million has been set aside in Budget 2022 for the preparations to be undertaken by GECOM for the hosting of LGE this year. This money is part of an overall $4.1 billion allocation to GECOM in Budget 2022, and was examined and approved by the National Assembly during its consideration of the 2022 Budget Estimates.
Included in the $783 million for LGE is a more-than-$300 million increase in “other goods and services purchased”, which jumped from $250.8 million in 2021 to $575.9 million in the 2022 Budget.
LGE are constitutionally due every two years in Guyana and were last held in 2018. However, given the fiasco that played out following the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the Local Government polls were deferred to 2021.
At the last LGE in November 2018, the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Opposition had secured 52 of the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs). This followed the holding of the LGE in 2016, during which the PPP/C also claimed the majority of the LAAs.
The registration exercise will conclude on May 29, 2022. (G3)