By Staff Writer
ROSEAU, Dominica, Nov 14, CMC -Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit is calling on the Electoral Commission to reverse a decision that he says “risks disenfranchising many eligible citizens”.
Skerrit told a news conference that the Registration of Electors Act, 2025, which he describes as “a key pillar of electoral reform and modernization,” requires all registered voters to confirm their registration with the Electoral Office during the 12 months ending October 14th, 2026.
He said that this confirmation process is vital to maintaining an accurate and transparent voters’ list, ensuring that every eligible Dominican can freely exercise the right to vote when election time comes.
He said regarding the identification documents required for registration or confirmation, Parliament “provided a clear and affordable alternative for persons without a government-issued ID such as a passport, driver’s licence, or social security card”.
Skerrit told reporters that the legislation allows anyone without a government issued ID, seeking to have his/her name entered on the voters register, to use an affidavit of identity together with the person’s certificate of birth, and a passport-sized photograph certified by a Justice of the Peace to be a true and correct image of that person as an alternative means of identification.
He said that these ID requirements were also provided for with respect to applicants for confirmation issued by the Electoral Commission on July 24 this year.
“They were fair, just, and consistent with the objectives of electoral reform,” he said, noting however that on October 14, this year, one day before the confirmation period began, “the Commission, in its own deliberate judgment” issued new guidelines “removing the affidavit of identity together with the person’s certificate of birth, and a certified passport size photograph as an acceptable alternative method of identification for confirmation.
“This decision, contrary to the clear intent of Parliament, has placed many voters, particularly the elderly, low-income, and unemployed, at a distinct disadvantage. Accordingly, I call on the Commission to reverse this most unfortunate decision, which risks disenfranchising many eligible citizens.”
Skerrit said that the Registration of Electors Act, 2025, like its predecessor, provides for continuous registration of voters and that “I was therefore deeply disappointed to learn that the Commission has suspended the registration of new voters, citing the need to establish a new technology-enabled registration system”.
Skerrit said that it is important to note that the Commission received the draft Bill for the Registration of Electors Act, 2025, for review in May 2024, at least 18 months ago, providing its feedback in September 2024, as required by the Constitution.
He said the Bill was introduced in Parliament in December 2024, passed on March 19th, 2025, and came into force on March 25 this year.
“Given that the Commission has had a technology-enabled registration system in place since 2017, replaced earlier this year and currently being used for the confirmation process, it is difficult to understand how it can now claim to be unable to register new voters “until further notice.”
“I therefore urge the Commission to resume continuous registration without further delay,” Skerrit said, telling reporters that “democracy is built on the participation of our people.
“The right to vote is one of the most important freedoms we possess, a right that generations before us fought hard to secure and protect,” he added.
He said that the Electoral Office has reported that over 4,000 voters have already applied for confirmation of their registration as electors during the first month of the process and that he is urging every citizen, whether residing in Dominica or abroad, to take a few moments to confirm their registration.
“Visit the nearest enrolment centre in your constituency, follow the simple steps provided, and ensure that your name remains on the voters’ list,” Skerrit said, urging voters to reject any campaign of disenfranchisement by misinformation.
PM Skerrit and wife Melissia at the electoral office doing re-registration
“Let us instead work together to uphold the fairness, transparency, and integrity of elections in the Commonwealth of Dominica. Our democracy depends on it, because in Dominica, every voice counts, and every vote matters.”
CMC/cj/ir/2025