The number of Montserrat residents registered to vote in the 24 October general election has been officially tallied at 3,464.
This is up just 37 people from February when the Electoral Commission published an online list for the first time showing a total of 3,427 registered voters.
This means that just over 78% of the island’s most recent population estimate of 4,433 people are registered to vote. It is unclear what percentage of eligible voters have registered.
The latest figure was detailed in the revised list of voters which came into force on 1 October, as appointed by Governor Sarah Tucker.
The list details each elector’s name, occupation, address in brief, and their polling division.
The divisions with the highest registered voter population are Brades and Salem at 694 and 617, while the lowest are St John’s and St Peter’s at 525 and 478 voters.
Following the 2019 general election, the BIMR Observer Mission recommended the introduction of mobile or postal voting for people with disabilities, the elderly, and those in hospitals or other institutions.
The list shows that 44 people are registered for mobile polling.
Eligible voters
According to the Elections Act and Subsidiary Legislation, residents are eligible to vote if they are 18 or over, not of unsound mind, and 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.
In February, Barrington B Chalmers, chair and supervisor of elections, said his team were 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 at the time.
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.
The full voters list is available for the public to view on the commission’s website at www.electoralcommission.ms
