THE ELECTORAL Advisory of Committee (EAC) has rejected a call for Jamaicans living overseas to be allowed to vote in local elections.
Overseas Jamaicans, estimated at approximately 2.5 million, are being denied the opportunity to vote here based on a number of concerns raised by the EAC, including the possibility of fraud, the criteria to determine who would qualify to vote, and the high cost involved.
Executive member of the EAC, Dorothy Pine-McLarty, said there were too many issues to be discussed at this time for the EAC to put overseas voting on its short or medium term agenda.
The Committee which has just emerged from a retreat is also proposing an increase in constituencies to an odd number, from 60 to 65, a proposal it plans to put to Parliament, according to chairman of the EAC, Professor Errol Miller.
Prof. Miller said increasing the constitutional limit to 65 would not mean an immediate addition of five new constituencies. Rather, a gradual increase in odd numbers was proposed.
He also reminded journalists at a press briefing yesterday at the EAC offices in Kingston that effecting any such change was entirely the purview of the Parliamentary Committee.
The decision was made based on the close results in the last General Election and moreso the results of the recent elections held in the Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago, which resulted in a tie.
"We don't want to have a tie here," said Professor Miller.
The EAC also disclosed that come October 2004 it will commence a house to house re-verification of residents.
"The estimated cost is about $300-million and it might spread over two financial years," Director of Elections Danville Walker told journalists.
Professor Miller said if the EAC were to do house to house enumeration, it would cost in excess of 750-million.
"We don't want to go through that costly exercise, we want to a house to house re-verification of residents," said Mr. Miller.
Among other issues discussed was the need for legislation to formally establish the EAC as Electoral Commission and the implementation of electronic voting and identification machinery.
