Dominican public asked to help update electoral list

Gerald Burton is the chairman of the Electoral Commission of Dominica

Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Dominica, Gerald Burton is calling on the public to assist in updating the electors list.

 He was speaking at the DAIC 2nd “Eggs Issues” Breakfast for 2019, held at the Prevo Cinemall earlier this week

 “My friends are challenging me on the other buzz phrase of our time, electoral reform,” he said. “I was told if you all are indeed making efforts to clean the list, why is the name of my deceased aunt still on the list when she has died for many years now?” he explained. “I asked my friend ‘when did your aunt die?’ and she indicated that her aunt had died in a foreign jurisdiction.”

Burton added, “I then asked how will the electoral commission know that her aunt was in fact deceased? and the reply was that, she my friend, actually had a copy of her [the aunt’s] death certificate. The light immediately shone in my friend’s eyes.”

According to Burton, his friend recognized that she had in her hands, the ability to assist the electoral office to remove her aunt’s name from the list. 

“Each and every one of us are similarly in a position to assist the process of improving the accuracy of the list,” he stated. 

Burton went on to say that the law makes provision for objections to be filed by the general public, including political parties.

“The Act allows for people who allege the elector is disqualified from remaining on the list, to make an objection there,” he explained.

He said it goes on to detail the manner in which such an objection is to be made and dealt with.

“Provision being made wherein for bringing such an objection to the attention of the elector concerned and providing an opportunity for such elector to be heard,” he noted. “An appeal mechanism is also put in place”

Furthermore, Burton said the Act provides, that when the list comes out, the electoral office puts out a notice indicating that the list is available for review and scrutiny and invites members of the public to review the list, “and to bring to the attention to the electoral office.”

Burton said that notwithstanding what is heard in the public as to the accuracy of the list,  evidence indicates that little use is made of the claims and objection process.

“Any objective observation of our existing electoral process would have to be, that it has provided us with very credible expressions of the will of the majority of the people of Dominica over the years…it remains capable of doing so,” Burton said.

However, the Electoral Commission Chairman stated that the ability of the electoral system to effectively deliver requires active participation of all stakeholders.

“The Electoral Commission and the Electoral Office have the constitutional responsibility for the conduct and registration of voters and elections. There’s little doubt that its unable to do so effectively without the significant input of the state’s executive – both political and administrative, parliament itself, the political parties and the population…,”he declared.

The theme of the DAIC  “Eggs and Issues” function was “The Electoral Process, Our Collective Responsibility.”

Mr. Burton’s address can be viewed or listened to in its entirety by clicking the link below.

http://tiny.cc/vrrk4y

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40 Comments

  1. Joseph John
    April 2, 2019

    The question or issue of voting should be treated as a Human Right, a Citizens Right and a Constitution Right. Any law, policy or practice that prevent the block or attempt to block a citizen from voting is wrong. If you are a citizen of Dominica you have a right to vote. Everyone has a duty to help and facilitate and encourage citizens to vote. That is like their God given right to life.
    No one should attempt to make you a stateless person. That is wrong.
    We should look at the model of the USA . Where ever you are , where ever you live you can vote. You can even vote by mail if you are incapacitated or out of the country.

    • 2much red/blue politics
      April 2, 2019

      You are conflating and confusing the issues. There are just laws that prohibit people from voting particularly if fraud or the potential for fraud is involved. E.G criminals are also not allowed to vote, for an election to be successful and valid there is the issue of intellectual honesty, sincerity, character and conscience. Individuals bought out or bribed to cast their vote or are victims of intimidation are not voting on the basis of best candidate or best policies but are acting under undue influence and coercion. I dont expect the “no law no constitution crowd” to understand this but its not just illegal its morally wrong. Now of course the law can be changed but it must be done with respect to the constitution, the law cannot be condemned because it is not politically expedient for your party – this goes for workers or any other party also. Reforms are needed across the board not just the ones you recommended but those advanced by the opposition as well. We should choose the best ideas from all…

  2. April 2, 2019

    I read with interest an article which appeared in the April 1st 2019 Stabroek news pertaining to pending Elections in Guyana; the second paragraph is makes for interesting reading as stated by Min of State Joseph Harmon and I quote ” if you reside overseas and you are not there at the time when the enumerators go to your house, then you cannot be considered to be on the list of electors. It’s not a matter of disenfranchising anyone” The population of Guyana is much larger than that of Dominica; just a reminder Mr Burton and all that b—s–t you and the Skerrit cabal continue to spew garbage about legislation for Electoral Reform.

    • Joseph John
      April 2, 2019

      Any law that does that need to change. It is against citizens right. This is a throw back from the Colonial system when there was property and weighted voting and women could not vote. Are we regressing to this backwards time ?

  3. Bwa-Banday
    April 1, 2019

    Gerard Burton can say what he wants. As long as he understands there will be civil war in Dca if that list is NOT cleaned before elections are called. Dcans take heed, we should never allow politicians to believe we are afraid of civil disobedience. Like Malcolm – X said; “By any means necessary”. NO elections without the reforms we have DEMANDED. Period.

  4. Karl Orndem
    April 1, 2019

    Guess who will get the blame when the list isnt cleaned now? the Dominican Public. He just wash his hands. So now it is up to the general public to go to their respective council offices to vet the list themselves and object to voters on the list. If not done by the citizens of the constituencies, they will have to carry the blame of a non-vetted or ill-vetted list. Laziness if i havent seen it myself. Issue the voter id cards. If you have no card, you cannot vote. Simple. If you are interested in voting, you will ensure that you have a card. However, the cards MUST be issued long ahead of time to that one side cannot say they were victimized, and the other side cannot say the card were issued, but in reality only their people got. Maybe next election for that. maybe is nonsense i talking. Already today is April fool.

  5. JCB
    April 1, 2019

    This Man is talking a lot of BS :twisted: the list should be every renew every Election a Year or 6 Months before the due date of the Election … Anyone who is entitle VOTE or Who is living will put their name and vote..

    PLEASE STOP THE WALKING DEAD VOTING

  6. March 31, 2019

    Gerard Burton,when will you start doing the people’s work,that’s what you are being paid for, as opposed to Skerit’ s dirty work.

  7. Anus/Annon/AH
    March 30, 2019

    I erred It suppose to Read How Europe Under developed Africa

    • Me
      April 1, 2019

      Do they need Europe to develop themselves?

    • Anonymous
      April 3, 2019

      Still brain fart, just do us a favor and stay out of your name, you like that stinking ting too much…yuck.

  8. Anus/Annon/AH
    March 30, 2019

    College admissions scandal reveals cost of bribing your way into Yale: My question 2 Mr. Charles How much is yours by extension JI and all the other Jokers? The end is near not for the other set of Jokers who want to take over but the Slants .The MOU was signed many moons ago & the guys are already well on their way to cementing the take over. Pat Aaron Tim’s good body over 5 decades
    wrote a song 4 dice. One line caught my attention and may have flew over the average calypso Savant’s head. In the lyrics was the expression there is always a foolish politician who wants to take over the dictator’s place. But I got news 4 the foolish politician or (s) the slants have been placing themselves 4 the takeover. Read the Slant’s in Zambia. Dr Walter Rodney wrote How England underdeveloped Africa. I am writing- How KaKa Doc sold DA.

  9. No electoral reform
    March 30, 2019

    This guy, does he want to clean any list?

  10. viewsexpressed
    March 30, 2019

    Burton added, “I then asked how will the electoral commission know that her aunt was in fact deceased? The reply was that, she my friend, actually had a copy of her [the aunt’s] death certificate. The light immediately shone in my friend’s eyes.”
    Burton, this is an outdated excuse and has no merit. When I was on the field worked with the Clerks of all Authorities, the minute someone passed once the death certificate was prepared it was submitted that all registration are updated in whatever document that it needs to be. The entire village knew and the death announcement was also announced on most radio stations of the families’ choice because they wanted national broadcast, that people, family members, friends far & wide would have known and heard and shared the news with immediate effect.
    Burton and his team sits in Roseau and appears not engaged and open with the Village Councils as their credible local authority contact. Are these councils reminded to share death certificates?

  11. UKDominican
    March 30, 2019

    Gerald, you are insulting the intelligence of most, if not all Dominicans. The regulations pertaining to the registration of electors, by your own Electoral Office state that in order to qualify for registration and voting, an elector must:
    – be resident in the polling district for min. three months prior to registration and be accompanied by a witness, who is already registered in the same district
    – must not have been absent from Dominica for a period exceeding five years.
    These regulations alone would eliminate all but a handful of CBI citizens , who have never even visited Dominica, those Dominicans, who acquired their citizenship through parentage or naturalisation as well as Dominicans, currently registered but who are disqualified under the five year absence rule. Their names should be automatically removed using immigration records.

    Your arguments that you must depend on public help insinuates that Ossie Walsh’s Civic Register is not up to scratch and I dispute that.

  12. SUGAR COAT
    March 30, 2019

    I think there is need for re registration of ALL electors. If my memory serves me right the last one was before the 1980 election . I would also like to know based on the constitution how long can a person serve as an Electoral Commissioner? It appears that a couple of those presently serving have been there for many many years.

  13. RogerP
    March 30, 2019

    You need to resign your position. You are part of the cabal. We don’t trust you!!

  14. Ibo France
    March 29, 2019

    If this guy wants to be credible in the public’s eyes, he would advise the powers that be to have a complete re-registration of voters. He would also encourage them, as he is in a position of influence, to introduce new electoral reforms to create a level playing field. What Mr. Burton is expertly good at is to attribute blame to the electors and the opposition parties and disavows culpability to himself and his party. Remember this, Skerrit places his most trusted enablers in key positions throughout the public service ( Chairman-electoral commission, Speaker-parliament, Commissioner-police force, President of Dominica) etcetera. The DLP is not in government on merit, corrupt practices have them there. The Blatant Bribery of overseas voters by handing them free plane tickets to come home and vote for DLP candidates. How many of these people will pay their own passage back to Dominica to vote? This scandal has to stop.

    • KID ON THE BLOCK
      March 30, 2019

      Ibo MALAPROP France, what has Skerrit done to you that you just can’t refrain from using his name from every comment you write?
      Is jealousy and hatred part of your DNA?
      No matter how obsess you are you shall see his reign for another 5 years. Put that in your pipe and smoke it

      • viewsexpressed
        March 30, 2019

        No it is not jealousy, there is nothing Skerrit has, or posses to be jealous of. Skerrit does not present himself as this professional and is spontaneous with weird words and saying addressing the poor and vulnerable he hopes to rally around him. There is nothing credible, and professional of Skerrit in undertaking the states works. It is just bumper to bumper silly talk, fancy dress clothes and take off from Melville Hall anytime and returns empty handed and hides and protects himself on GIS and DBS and talk late news, fake news rubbish to us. We are not fooled. Skerrit lives in this fancy world of boyish, childish behaviour, seeking attention and honour. Its all about failed immature Skerrit and not the poor and suffering people of Dominica,. let alone the development of Dominica. Skerrit must Go, we need out.
        We therefore await the decent, professional, dedicated Hon Lennox Linton and his professional UWP Team to capture the reigns of government and we kick Skerrit out. Outside. Go

      • Ibo France
        March 30, 2019

        KID, Mr. Skerrit’s stewardship has been a hellish nightmare except for his immediate family and sheep-like surrogates. Presently, the man is incontrovertibly the most corrupt leader in the Caribbean. When you see a country like Dominica, full of immense potential but this underdeveloped , corruption is responsible for that. Stop taking the ostrich position with this regime and use THE ROD OF CORRECTION (your vote) to strike them out of office. Far too many babies, children and adults are missing breakfast.

  15. REAL!!!!
    March 29, 2019

    Gerald are you still selling passport under the approval of Mr. Skerrit?

    When last you went to court to defend a client?

    If 90% of your legal services income comes from passport sales then who decides whether you eat on daily bases?

    So tell me how will you bite the hand that feeds you?

    You are working in Skerrit interest ONLY not Dominica!!!!

    • Pipo
      April 1, 2019

      Isn’t his office address in Kennedy Avenue also the one for Range, who are selling the passports for the Kempinski hotel. Could that be a conflict of interest.

  16. I love my own space
    March 29, 2019

    To whom it may concern
    I have heard what was said in relation to relatives and family members being able to help with the cleaning of the electors list and I would like to make my contribution. However in order to do so I would have to be able to access the electors list online as i am presently out of states. Any help so i can access this list would be greatly appreciated. Many people in my family have passed on, and never thought of checking that list on my visits back home. I look forward in having a positive response and a link that i can follow.
    thanks I would like to help my country.

    • I love my own space
      March 30, 2019

      DNO I still await a response, don’t tell me there is no list on a system somewhere which can be viewed online in this modern day of technology. Maybe that’s why Reggie made all that mistake distributing monies to farmers. By the way I took a look on the electoral Commission website and could not find my constituency as it was spelt wrongly and I should say under a completely different name. The web page needs work and I believe an updated link of the voters lists so there is transparency, after all I need to know if I can still come home to vote after being out of state for more than 5 years :-D just maybe my name is still there. yessa!

      • Karl Orndem
        April 2, 2019

        they say it will be available n hard copy at your village council office.

  17. jamie
    March 29, 2019

    Burton you and the LABOUR PARTY ARE A BUNCH OF FRAUDS.

    • d45
      March 29, 2019

      Are you kidding me? This is the best you can come up with? You sound like a 5 year old playing games with his friends.

  18. Sauve Va
    March 29, 2019

    I have seen peoples names on the voters list whom have been living in the US for over 30 years. Whose responsibility is it to get those name off the list?

  19. max
    March 29, 2019

    Sorry but this is bull. I think the registering officers need to be doing a better job. I remember my grand mother was a registering officer back in the days and any person who dies in our hamlet she would complete a form. Rubbish. The public not sure who is who people may have the same name. Mr. Larocque should insist that the Registering officer do this. So Anthony they are getting paid it not a hard task lets get moving.

    • Amarossa
      March 29, 2019

      Very true!

      And it should be a two pronged approach. The registering officer should have the official returning officer for EACH party present when they fill out the form to strike the name off the list. So there can be no cries of foul/jooboom.

  20. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    March 29, 2019

    “My friends are challenging me on the other buzz phrase of our time, electoral reform,” he said. “I was told if you all are indeed making efforts to clean the list, why is the name of my deceased aunt still on the list when she has died for many years now?” he explained. “I asked my friend ‘when did your aunt die?’ and she indicated that her aunt had died in a foreign jurisdiction.” (Gerald ).

    Gerald, all of your words above are simple hogwash! I consider your wast of time sweet nothing words not to be a perfect act of gluttony: over-indulgence in talking foolishness as that in the quote is no different to over-consumption of food, and drinking of  cheap rum!

    If it is your responsibility to clean the voter registration list, rather than spending your time making ridiculous ramblings speech with absolutely nothing significant said will not make or cause the names of the dead people to be removed from the list.

    Get to work stop talking crap!

  21. Pipo
    March 29, 2019

    I am sure mr. Burton smarter than me but I do not understand how that can be do difficult. When someone dies in Dominica there is a death certificate, so remove that person from the list straight away. Secondly, when someone leaves Dominica legally they fill in a form for immigration, so we have a record of everyone leaving. If that person does not return within five years, dead or not, remove them from the list. Is that so difficult? We having computers for a long time you know. Are they using them. Is the Registry and Immigration even talking to each other? I suspect mr. Burton stalling for time.

  22. We're in 2019!
    March 29, 2019

    Mr. Burton, the Supplementary Electors List needs to be posted online so that it can be scrutinized by all. This thing about having to go in person to view the list at a polling station is ridiculous in 2019. It’s like you are trying to make the voting process as difficult as possible. This thing about bringing in death certificate to get friends and families deceased off the list is good but provisions should be made to have a complete re-registration every couple cycles, so that the list is always kept fresh and updated. It’s like the electoral commission just wants to sit there and get paid for doing minimal work.

    • Gouvelma
      March 29, 2019

      Please get the ball rolling. Let me know when I can come down to register and get my voters id so I can vote labor out of office and exile them from Dominica. I know labor will do all they can to stall the process. However, it will take place and labor will be no more. I urge all Dominicans to be vigilant, be watchful and be mindful. Labor knows very well that they cannot win another election in Dominica with a clean voters electors list and voter id cards.

      • Ibo France
        March 30, 2019

        Govelma, your statements are statements of facts. If everything are above board, DLP would get their feathers plucked. Bribery, trickery, chicanery and skullduggery has the DLP in power today. The DLP is a blight on the people’s life.

  23. %
    March 29, 2019

    Gerard Burton -Charles man you are piece of travail.
    So it takes ur female friend to shed the light with a death certificate ?
    Man ! there is no rhythm or reason to humiliate someone who has already been doing so (self induced) for many a year now. Check ur tumescence.
    Some politically inclined have their ears to the ground, Others eyes on the price, L’autre walking with their eyes closed some with MAWs touching the ground.

  24. %
    March 29, 2019

    You are using one case in point of an overseas death to justify your laziness and protracted don’t care attitude to the Dominican electorate.This is sickening! What are you doing from your end to ensure free and fair election? Why in 2019 you can’t get a copy of all Dominican death above 18years? Do you care? It’s clear that you don’t .Many in your place would resign forthwith!!!
    I am not impressed with you sir,or your empty rhetoric .You have failed your country,and your don’t care attitude at the job will be one of your damning legacy.
    Skerrit Must Go
    Skerrit Must Go
    Lazy Skerrit Must Go Now

  25. My little take
    March 29, 2019

    Gerald Burton has lost the respect of most of Dominica’s voters and therefore he needs to resign in other for people to regain confidence in our electoral process.

    • Me
      March 29, 2019

      AND YOU KNOW THIS HOW

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