Election Day – December 29

KINGSTON — Jamaicans will go to the polls on Thursday December 29, 2011.  Prime Minister Hon. Andrew Holness, announced the date for the country’s 16th general election on Sunday (Dec.4).  Nomination Day is scheduled for Monday, December 12.

Last week the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EoJ) announced that the latest voters’ list was publishedwith 1,648,036 of which 41,607 were new electors.

Speaking with JIS News, Public Education Officer at the Electoral Office, Christin Senior, said that the office is currently printing and packaging the identification cards (ID) for distribution to the offices.

Voter identification cards for the new electors, who were added to the November 30 voters’ list, should be ready for distribution to constituency offices by Wednesday, December 7, 2011.

For persons who were on the voters’ list prior to the publication of the November 30 list (those who were added on or before May 31, 2011) those ID cards are also available for collection.

"Several of them have already been printed and they have been sent out by regions to the EOJ constituency offices, but we hope to begin officially distributing them by Wednesday,” Miss Senior said.

"About a month ago at our last check, we had 300,000 ID cards that were yet to be collected," Miss Senior said.

 She informed that the ID cards “must be collected by the (owner) at the EOJ constituency office where you are registered. You cannot send somebody for it; it is not delivered by mail. You have to sign for it and we will also verify that the information is correct and we will verify your identity."

In terms of voting on Election Day, Miss Senior explained that if voters do not have their ID card they will still be allowed to vote once their name is on the voters’ list and their identity can be verified.

Persons may check to see if their names are on the new list by viewing the online voters’ list database at http://www.ecj.com.jm/content-57-146.htm

By Latonya Linton, JIS Reporter