February 3, 2026
Dear Editor,
Two weeks have passed since my earlier letter highlighting that new eligible voters in Dominica have been unable to register because the required technology for the new registration system is “not ready.” The Electoral Commission did issue a statement in November announcing a temporary suspension of voter registration pending completion of the new system, but since then, there has been no updated public clarification on when continuous registration — as mandated by law — will effectively resume.
This continuing uncertainty is troubling because it comes at the end of a long and often painful journey towards electoral reform. The passage of the electoral reform bills in March 2025 was meant to turn the page, yet important elements of Sir Denis Byron’s recommendations — including campaign finance rules, residency requirements, safeguards against bribery and treating, fair media access, and the use of state resources — are not fully resolved and remain contentious. These issues already challenge the perception of free and fair elections, and the ongoing inability of new voters to register poses an even greater threat.
Central to all of this lies a fundamental question: how does the Prime Minister’s constitutional power to call an election at any time coexist with the constitutional and statutory right of every eligible citizen to be registered and to participate in the democratic process? If, after nearly eleven months in which new eligible voters have been turned away because the system is “not ready,” a snap election were to be called, it would be an abomination of our democratic institutions — one that the government, opposition parties, and civil society should be actively working together to prevent.
The Prime Minister has recently invited young Dominicans to make their voices heard on the international airport and other national issues. The most meaningful way for their voices to be heard — on the airport and on every other matter — is through the ballot box. Yet today, any eligible citizen seeking to register to vote, particularly first-time and likely younger voters, is being denied that constitutional and democratic right.
What is equally remarkable is the lack of renewed urgency. Beyond the November announcement, the Commission has not provided a clear timeline or roadmap to restore continuous registration for first-time voters. The government and opposition have not treated this as the national emergency for our democracy that it is. It is time for a nationwide, cross-party and civilsocietyled campaign to ensure that every last eligible voter who wishes to register is allowed to do so, and that the breach of the law represented by the past eleven months is promptly and fully remedied.
I therefore urge the Electoral Commission, the Government of Dominica, and all opposition parties to speak clearly and urgently on this issue, to commit publicly to restoring continuous registration without further delay, and to ensure that, whenever the next election is called, every eligible Dominican has had a fair and reasonable opportunity to be registered and to vote.
Yours faithfully,
Gregor Nassief
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