The Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has reported that over 49,000 persons were registered for the first time during its recently concluded continuous registration cycle.
The continuous registration cycle commenced on March 07, 2022, as part of pre-parations for the overdue Local Government Elections (LGE). The cycle ended on May 29, 2022.
Yesterday, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer Yolanda Ward told Stabroek News that a total of 70,041 transactions were conducted during the period. She explained that 28,149 were new registrants between the ages of 14 and 17, while 21,130 were new registrants above the age of 18.
Additionally, 4,629 persons applied for transfers, 6,526 persons changed or corrected their information, 7,667 applied for replacement identification cards and 1,940 registrants retook their ID photos.
Ward related that the numbers are currently being reconciled but the Commission expects very few variations in those presented.
The exercise was of crucial importance to those first-time registrants, including those who had registered during the 2019 house-to-house registration exercise that was scuttled, necessitating that they reapply. Additionally, persons who turned 14 since the last registration cycle were also captured.
The exercise was seen as the first step by the Commission in the preparation for the constitutionally overdue LGE. However, while the Opposition Commissioners encouraged persons to get registered they also expressed their dissatisfaction over the failure of the Commission to address the “bloated” register.
The opposition has been contending that dead and migrant voters populated the voters’ list produced for the last general polls and this situation ought to be addressed before the hosting of another election.
Local Government Elections were constitutionally due at the end of last year but GECOM was without a Chief Election Officer and could not have prepared to host the elections. As a result, the Chair, retired Justice Claudette Singh wrote to the government informing of such but did commit to confirming a timeline after the appointment of a CEO.
GECOM’s former Public Relations Officer Vishnu Persaud has since filled that vacancy but no word on a plan has been communicated as yet.
At the beginning of June, the Commission’s Secretariat released a list of vacancies for “polling day staff for Local Government Elections.” The Commission is looking for Presiding Officers, Assistant Presiding Officers, Poll Clerks, Ballot Clerks/Counting Assistants and Information Clerks.
All applications should be submitted to the Chief Elections Officer no later than June 30, 2022.
Stabroek News understands that the Secretariat decided to go ahead with the advertisement for polling day staff to be prepared for whenever the Commission announces a date.
