Statement to Parliament by Hon. Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit – Resumption of Voter Registration
Mr. Speaker,
I rise on the matter of the long-running suspension of voter registration and the announcement by the Electoral Commission that it is scheduled to resume on March 9th, 2026.
Government welcomes this development. The right of every eligible Dominican to be registered to vote is foundational to our democratic system. It is particularly important for young citizens who have attained voting age and are seeking to exercise their constitutional right for the first time.
Mr. Speaker, Section 17(1) of the Registration of Electors Act provides clearly and unequivocally that:
“There shall be continuous registration of persons qualified under this Act to be registered as electors”.
This imposes a mandatory and ongoing statutory obligation. It does not contemplate suspension on the basis of administrative convenience or technological readiness. The Act contains no provision authorizing the interruption of continuous registration.
The prolonged suspension of voter registration on the stated basis that required technology was “not ready” therefore represents a serious administrative failure in the discharge of a statutory responsibility. The Commission effectively created an administrative impasse through its own deliberate actions and then relied upon that impasse to justify non- compliance with the law.
What makes this situation more concerning is that the Electoral Commission procured a technology-supported voter registration and confirmation system from Semlex International in 2017, capable of using the biometrics of facial and fingerprint recognition for the purpose of voter identification. Notwithstanding this, the Commission indicated that following the passage of the Registration of Electors Act, 2025, registration could no longer proceed under the previous legislative framework which also provided for continuous registration. The Commission therefore procured a second technology-supported voter registration and confirmation system from Semlex International in June 2025.
Mr. Speaker, even if preferred technological systems were unavailable, the Commission remained legally obliged to continue registration by manual or legacy methods. It did not do so. The consequence has been a year-long interruption of a statutory process that Parliament clearly intended to be continuous.
This has understandably caused public concern, anxiety and uncertainty. Indeed, the ruling Dominica Labour Party has been prevented for the last 12 months from carrying out a core responsibility of political organizations to bring new voters into the democratic process.
While we welcome the resumption of registration, the circumstances leading to this breach must not be ignored. Public confidence in the electoral system depends upon strict adherence to the law and the timely discharge of responsibilities by every institution entrusted with electoral administration.
Mr. Speaker, with respect to identification requirements for registration, Parliament, in enacting the Registration of Electors Act, 2025, deliberately provided an accessible and inexpensive alternative for persons without government-issued identification such as a passport, driver’s license, or social security card. Regulation 8(4) allows a person seeking registration to submit a passport-sized photograph certified by a Justice of the Peace as a true and correct image of that person.
However, on October 14th, 2025, the Electoral Commission, acting independently and in its own judgment, issued SRO No. 39 of 2025, which removed the certified passport-sized photograph as an acceptable option for registration and confirmation of registration.
In doing so, the Commission departed from the clear intention of Parliament and from the expressed wishes of all political parties, thereby placing certain voters at a distinct disadvantage.
In the public interest Mr. Speaker, this Government has asked the Commission; and the Commission has agreed, to make the necessary amendments to the regulations that will reinstate the ID requirements for persons without government-issued identification and thereby restore electoral equality in accordance with the intent of Parliament.
Let me make it absolutely clear: the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica and the Dominica Labour Party have had no involvement whatsoever in the operational decisions or administrative processes of the Electoral Commission. The Commission is an independent constitutional body. Its work, including voter registration, confirmation and the management of the electoral register, is carried out independently of the Government and independently of any political party.
Neither the Government nor the Dominica Labour Party directs, influences or interferes with the decisions of the Electoral Commission, and we have not done so in this matter.
Mr. Speaker, this Government remains firmly committed to the rule of law, to the independence of constitutional institutions, and to the protection of every citizen’s democratic rights. I therefore encourage all eligible citizens to take full advantage of the opportunity to register once the process resumes, and I urge the Electoral Commission to ensure that registration proceeds lawfully, efficiently, and without further interruption, in full compliance with the Act.
Our democracy is strongest when institutions act within the law, transparently, and in a manner that earns and sustains public trust.
I thank you, Mr. Speaker.
