The number of registered voters in Montserrat currently totals 3,427 – just over three quarters of the island’s latest population estimate of 4,433 people.
The data comes from the Electoral Commission which has published an online list for the first time, detailing each elector’s name, occupation, address in brief, and their polling division.
It is available for the public to view on the commission’s new website at www.electoralcommission.ms
As well as the voters list, the website also features a description of the polling divisions – Salam, St Peter’s, Brades, Davy Hill, St John’s and Lookout – and a related map.
And it gives information on the commission’s members and provides answers to common questions on elections.
If an eligible resident is not registered, they can download and complete the voter registration form available on the website.
Eligible residents
According to the Elections Act and Subsidiary Legislation, residents are eligible if they are 18 or over, not of unsound mind, a Commonwealth citizen.
They must have lived in Montserrat for 36 months immediately preceding the date of registration as a voter or be domiciled in Montserrat and resident on the election date.
The law also states that anyone who has been sentenced for a prison term over 12 months and is still serving cannot vote.
Barrington B Chalmers, chair and supervisor of elections, in a statement earlier on 2 February said his team are conducting continuous voter registration.
“Our goal is to register everyone who qualifies and ensure that no qualified person is turned away on election day due to lack of registration,” he said.
The Electoral Commission was established under the Montserrat Constitution Order 2010.
It is governed by the Electoral Commission Act 2012 (revised edition 1 January 2013) and guided by the Elections Act and Subsidiary Legislation (revised edition 1 January 2019).
The primary function of the commission is to supervise elections in Montserrat in accordance with any laws regulating their conduct.
Montserrat’s general election is due this year, but the government has not yet announced a date.
