Electors list as of Nov 30, ready, deadline for objections has passed, says Chief Elections Officer

Chief Elections Officer, Ian Michael Anthony has announced that the Register of Electors lists as at November 30, 2018, for polling districts, are ready to be delivered to Registering Officers and Assistant Registering Officers in each constituency.

He made the announcement during a brief interview on Tuesday.

“The deadline for submitting objections and claims has just passed. It was the 19th of November and subsequent to this we have now finalized the lists that has to be posted to various polling Districts around Dominica,” he said.

He continued, “Essentially those lists will be handed over to the registering officers who in turn will hand them to their assistant registering officers for display within the Polling Districts across Dominica.”

Chief Elections Officer Ian Michael Anthony

According to Anthony out of this process observations were made.

“What we’ve observed out of this process is that there have been attempts to object as required by law, but not following the proper procedure,” he noted. “So at the end of the day if somebody submits a list of names, for example, and asks us to take action, however the law is very specific as to what has to happen in terms of that objection, and the first thing is that it has to be in writing on a specific form, and that is form 4. which gives the notice for objection.”

Anthony explained that the objection has to go to the registering officer within the constituency and it is filled out by the objector in his own handwriting.

 In fact, he said the law provides that if the objector cannot write, a witness will fill out the form on behalf of him/her.

“So that, 1. It goes to the registering officer, 2. The objector has to give us his name in full, his occupation, indicate the Polling District that he’s registered for, included in the objection as well the name of the person being objected to and the grounds that the person is disqualified for inclusion in the list,” he explained further.

He added, “The objector will date and sign the form and as indicated earlier, a witness is required.”

Anthony made it clear that the witness has to be an elector in the same Polling District as the person who’s being objected to.

“If I am objecting to the registration of Ian Smith in Polling District N02, but the witness is somebody who actually lives Polling District A01, both the objector and the witness have to be in the same Polling District…,” he indicated. “That goes to the registering officer and then the process continues from there.”

He encouraged electors to follow the procedure that is prescribed in the law for objections, “Because if it’s not done then what it means is that there is really not an objection.”

“The law sets the ground rules and those have to be followed,” Anthony remarked.

Meantime, he remind electors in Good Hope that the nomination day for candidates to contest the Village Council Elections in that community is set for the December 18th 2018.

Anthony encouraged electors to participate in that process.

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24 Comments

  1. john paul
    May 24, 2019

    If ignorance of the law is no excuse should the Electoral Commission have a responsibility to educate?
    If not let the People change the Law

  2. hmmmm
    November 29, 2018

    My question is, was the public made aware of the process; what form to use, how to complete the form etc? Isn’t this critical?

    If someone submitted an objection that was incorrectly done, did the registrar or assistant registrar inform them and show them how to do it properly?

    How do you now come and say there is a ‘right’ way to complete the form yet never provided an avenue for persons to learn how to correctly complete the form?

  3. Sisserou
    November 27, 2018

    What is really the rush to call elections now Skerrit? You said elections is the last thing on your mind, really? Elections in Dominica is constitutionally due in June of 2020. We say no elections without electoral reform. You have yet to deliver on the so called int’l airport. We the Dominican people will boycott any elections that are called right now.

  4. BUY Elections
    November 27, 2018

    I will not waste my time to talk about the so called Election List that Skerrit and operatives of the DLP have hijacked and they trying to quote law as if to give the impression that Dominica is governed by law. But to the subject matter, let me say here that Skerrit wanted to call elections after the big buget presentation but the news on the ground was not good which followed by Maria. He intended to announce a date during independence but the news got worse. He intended to announce the date during the praise service with ‘Sinach, but he and his operatives walked through the large crowd and realized 65% of the people that attended either publicly support UWP or cannot be trusted, so he was afraid to announce a date. But Skerrit is a December person and therefore he MUST call elections this December or next December. But he knows what will unfold before Dec. 2019, so he is BOUND by his god to call it this DECEMBER 18, a week before Christmas. BUT we ready like Freddie

  5. Ibo France
    November 27, 2018

    The profess of objection is much too complicated and cumbersome. There are just to many technicalities. The laws and rules governing the objection process have not been well publicly ventilated. Too many political appointees are put in too many key governmental positions. Their goal is to manufacture specific outcomes in favor of the ruling elites. Competence is lacking, fairness is nonexistent and immortality is lifted above the shoulders. It’s no wonder Dominica is suffering from economic paralysis, stunted development and political divisiveness. In Dominica, the voters’ list is replete with dead people’s names, this allows corpses to vote.

    • Ibo France
      November 28, 2018

      *The “procedure” of objection NOT “profess”. How did that word get there?

  6. Readwell
    November 27, 2018

    Here is some clarification to the Above

    1. It is the Objections to the List that is closed not Registration
    2. Registration is continuous. You can register up to the date when Election is called. So please don’t panic If your name is not on the list just go ahead and Register no one can stop you.

    What the Elections Officer need to tell the Dominican people is if they are following specific law that says that no dead person and no one who has been living overseas continuously for 5 years must be on that Final List for the Year.. If they have done their work over the years and followed the law then this List of Electors should be a Clean List. If they have not , then they have been Violating the law and not doing what the Specific Legislation states that must be done.. What systems have they put in place in order to fulfill the requirements of the Law? Or have they just been violating the law with impunity? The public has a right to an answer.

  7. Shaka Zulu
    November 27, 2018

    Was tbe information on the process made public before it started? In my mind tge law must give provision for public notifications on tge process to give pepple time put there objections. If that was done then the law is the law. However if no prior notification was given then this guy is full of crap. If the law does not allow for adequate public notice then it is a poorly written legislation. I hope he did not break the law by not providing adequate information on the status of the process and citizens responsibility. What about request for extension. There has been no announcement of elections so what is the rush? Maybe he knows something the public does not.

  8. enough is enough
    November 27, 2018

    this is the only one country where dead people can vote

  9. Religious Gimmicks
    November 27, 2018

    “Meantime, he remind electors in Good Hope that the nomination day for candidates to contest the Village Council Elections in that community is set for the December 18th 2018.”

    The question here is, are we looking at a December 18 GENERAL ELECTIONS? I think we got a clear hint by the people that are supposed to protect our elections. It seems that they are using Good Hope to keep people in the dark so we better get busy to ensure that we get rid of these corrupt bunch occupying our offices

  10. Wizib
    November 27, 2018

    I find voting to be very silly and quite ironic that you use your hands to get a person elected and soon after, weeks, months or years, you have to use the same hands to get them out, some times even by force. It’s like agreeing for a person to be hanged for a crime then when you see the hanging can’t handle it so you changed you mind. This is the exact same reason why I will never vote. I believe in communism or kings and rulers like back then, humans don’t know what they want and never will. This democracy thing is all a trick, it’s just another type of control but making you think you are free. And why should we be free anyway we all need to be controlled.

    • Ibo France
      November 27, 2018

      @Wizib
      Are you alright? Those are the most asinine comments I’ve read in a long, long time. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion but ignorance is not bliss. Are you trying to be facetious? You CANNOT be serious.

  11. Concerned Citizen
    November 27, 2018

    First of all sir, you never informed the public that voter registration was open, so how the heck is it already closed? Who are the persons submitting these voting lists? Are these lists being double checked by a committee? That is why nonsense does continue in D.A, allu just putting nice words together to make ppl believe allu effective.

    • Stalin
      November 27, 2018

      Registration of electors is always open.anyone can still register today just that they will not be included in this final list for this yr.Also once elections are announced and writs are issued u still have till midnight i believe of the next 24hr to be included on the list for that election .
      Also the deadline and procedure was announced 22nd October and published on DNO .

    • Stalin
      November 27, 2018

      voter registration is always open . it is deadline for objections as far as this final list for the yr. is concerned ,which has passed.the deadline was announced 22nd oct. and published on DNO.

  12. don2fresh
    November 27, 2018

    There are laws and processes which makes the election free and fair which we the voters can assist in. Do not think they do not exist, know what they are and act on them when they matter. Don’t wait until everything is passed and then complain and looking for reasons why things may not or did not work in your favour.

  13. LuccLu
    November 27, 2018

    Why wasn’t this infomation put forward prior to the deadline? Was the deadline announced? If not, why not? Now we’re laying out the rules of how the process should go, after the deadline? Granted if you’re objecting to something you should know the process but it could have been laid out like this for everyone. Hopefully elections will be free and clear, we can only hope and pray.

    • Stalin
      November 27, 2018

      pls. take a look at press release of october 22nd 2018 which was published on DNO.These procedures has always been there.

  14. Bite
    November 27, 2018

    Sorry, I am missing something. Is this for a general election? Has the date for election been set? The “deadline for objections has passed” if elections are in December 1, 2019 has the deadline also passed? I must be missing something as this does not make any sense

  15. %
    November 27, 2018

    When will electoral reform be Ready?

  16. John Jay
    November 27, 2018

    Fool of …, why dont you have a new registration of voters because some died, migrat and relocated to other constituencies. Because the voters list is bigger than the population.
    I know you have to stand on your own and dont let the government push or dictate to you. There was monies for reregistration whats wrong with it and where it went to.

  17. DA
    November 27, 2018

    What the Heck, The deadline has past, Really????

    • World's Moistest Jheri Curl
      November 27, 2018

      They announce it after the deadline has passed LOL
      Plus there’s so many barriers to contesting that it’s pointless!

  18. Expectations
    November 27, 2018

    Elections to be called next month it seems

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