FOLLOWING ITS year-long reverification of voters, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) will be holding hearings next week in another effort to confirm the status of more than 250,000 electors whose place of residence remains in doubt.
The hearings will run from May 8-10 at the offices of the returning officer for each constituency.
"We have mailed out over 300,000 cards to persons who are not likely to be carried forward to the new voters' list because we find no evidence that they are still resident in the constituency (some have since responded)," Danville Walker, director of elections, told The Gleaner.
Nevertheless, he said the opportunity was being provided for these at-risk voters to attend the hearings with proof of residency, whereupon they would be confirmed on the voters' list.
CONFIRMING ELECTORS
The voter reverification process started 12 months ago, with representatives of the EOJ going to the homes of electors to confirm that they were still resident at the address given.
Despite several visits to each home, however, the office has reportedly not been able to confirm some of these electors.
When the reverification process started, there were approximately 1.4 million electors on the voters' list. Despite the efforts of the EOJ, the director of elections is expecting the number to have shrunk to "in the region of 1.2 million."
The new voters' list should be ready by month-end.
