No Further Amendments on Final Electors List for December 6, 2019 Elections

The Electoral Office of Dominica informs the public that, as required by law, the Preliminary and Supplementary Registers as having been issued, will constitute the final lists for the December 6, 2019, general elections.

No further amendments may, therefore, be made to them by the Electoral Office, in accordance with regulation 40 of the Registration of Electors Regulations.

Regulation 40 states as follows:

“The register of electors shall be closed to alterations on the date on which notice of an election is given” Upon the publication of the Preliminary Register on September 30, 2019, notice was given that the deadline for the filing of claims and objections was November 19, 2019.

This notice was issued pursuant to Regulation 32 (3) of the Registration of Electors Regulations. However, this was before His Excellency issued the writs for elections under the Public Seal.

Consequently, this notice has, by operation of law, been superseded by the issuance of the writs for elections on November 6, 2019, pursuant to sections 16 and 17 of the Registration of Electors Act.

• Section 12 (1) of the House of Assembly (Elections) Act gives the President the power to issue writs for elections, under the Public Seal.
• Section 12 (2) requires that the date for nomination be declared and mandates that the election be held not less than 15 days and no more than 21 days from nomination day. The writs for elections were issued on November 6, 2019, Nomination Day was held on November 19, 2019 and the general elections set for December 06, 2019.
• As section 16 (b) of the Registration of Electors Act permits the removal of those ordered to be removed after an objection within 5 days of the writs, this would not constitute an alteration of the Register, but the removal of names from the Supplementary List by operation of law.
• Section 16 (b) of the Act and Regulation 40 therefore, would not allow the preparation of the register to be delayed, to permit for the hearing of objections filed after the writs were published.

Notices of objection submitted to the Electoral Office will be reviewed and those deemed validly filed will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

This article is copyright © 2019 DOM767