The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will open a temporary Registration Sub-Office at Better Hope Community Centre (Lower Flat), East Coast Demerara, from Monday.
The primary objective is to provide easier access for eligible persons residing between and including Industry and Triumph, East Coast Demerara, to conduct registration transactions, GECOM said in a press release.
Prior to the establishment of this Sub-Office, persons from this catchment area were required to visit the permanent Registration Office at Coldingen to conduct registration transactions.
GECOM is currently conducting the third cycle of Continuous Registration which began on March 19 and will end on June 18.
According to the release, at May 21 GECOM had received applications for 13,472 new registrations out of which the residency verification of 13,230 has already been completed.
Anyone who will be 14 years or older by 7th September, 2012, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalization, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, is eligible for registration during this exercise, the release stated.
During this registration exercise, persons who are eligible for registration are required to visit the Registration Office that is responsible for their areas of residence to apply for registration.
However, those who were already registered could, if necessary, apply for a name change in the case of the change of name(s) by marriage or Deed Poll, since they were registered, or apply for correction(s), if there is incorrect information on their National ID Cards.
Additionally, persons who are already registered could request that their photographs be retaken if the quality of the photograph on their ID cards is unacceptable, or they could collect their new ID cards which were produced before the 2011 General and Regional Elections, 2008-2011, if they have not done so as yet.
Persons who are eligible for registration are required to visit the GECOM Registration Office that is responsible for the registration of persons from their respective areas of residence to apply for registration.
Such persons must be in possession of the following source documents as might be necessary to support their applications for registration:
1)Original Birth Certificate issued by the General Register Office or a valid Guyana Passport;
ii) Original Marriage Certificate (and original birth certificate) in the case of a name change by way of marriage;
iii) Original Deed Poll and original Birth Certificate in the case of any change of name by Deed Poll;
iv) Original Naturalization Certificate issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and original birth certificate/valid passport in the case of naturalization. Evidence (photocopy/duplicate) of an application having been made for naturalization will not be accepted.
Moreover, GECOM has pointed out that Baptismal Certificates, expired passports, photocopies of relevant documents or letters from Priests, Elders, Head Masters, Village Captains/Touchous and Justices of the Peace or existing ID cards will not be acceptable as source documents for registration.
All persons who will be eligible for registration, but are not in possession of the relevant supporting document(s) as stated are urged to take immediate steps to acquire them in order to facilitate their respective registration during this Continuous Registration exercise.
It is the civic duty and legal responsibility of all Guyanese who meet the eligibility requirements to apply for registration during this Cycle of Continuous Registration, GECOM stated. And by so doing, they would be ensuring that they are included on the official lists of electors for future elections, if they meet the other eligibility criteria, apart from being issued with National ID cards.
Section 6 of the National Registration Act, Chapter, 19:08 makes it obligatory for persons who meet the registration criteria to apply for registration. GECOM also noted that persons eligible for registration could be prosecuted, fined or even sent to prison for failing or refusing to apply for registration. In this regard, it must be noted that it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that the eligible children in their charge apply for registration.
