The Electoral Office says it will resume voter registration on March 9, amid criticism from opposition political parties and at least one leading businessman and hotelier.
The voter confirmation process began on October 15 last year, but the leader of the main opposition United Workers Party (UWP), Dr. Thomson Fontaine, had raised concerns about the situation noting that one of the contributing factors in the very slow process of confirmation.
The United Progressive Party (UPP) said that the Chief Election Officer had informed the public that the suspension of new voter registration was as a result of software and hardware development and training of registration officers.
It recalled a recent account published in local media describing how a prospective voter was denied the opportunity to register on January 12, 2026, because officials claimed the required software or technology was ‘not ready’ to process first-time registrations.
‘By turning away new registrants for any reason, including technological or administrative unpreparedness, the Electoral Commission and the government of Dominica are in direct violation of this statutory requirement. There is no provision in law for the suspension of new voter registration due to software delays or any other administrative inconvenience.’
Prominent businessman and hotelier, Gregor Nassief, said that the situation ‘is troubling because it comes at the end of a long and often painful journey towards electoral reform.
‘The passage of the electoral reform bills in March 2025 was meant to turn the page, yet important elements of (former president of the Caribbean Court of Justice) Sir Denis Byron’s recommendations – including campaign finance rules, residency requirements, safeguards against bribery and treating, fair media access, and the use of state resources – are not fully resolved and remain contentious.
‘These issues already challenge the perception of free and fair elections, and the ongoing inability of new voters to register poses an even greater threat,’ Nassief wrote in a letter to the media.
But in a statement announcing the resumption of the voter registration exercise, the Electoral Office said that temporary suspension of voter registration was due to the enactment of the new legislation, which necessitated the implementation of an advanced computerized voter registration system and revised eligibility requirements for electors.
It said that the legislation also stipulates that all current voters must confirm their registration, and it required the Electoral Commission to publicly announce the voter confirmation period within one month of the legislation’s approval.
Consequently, the processes of voter confirmation and voter registration were developed and launched as separate programs.
The Electoral Office said to meet the legislative deadlines it prioritised the voter confirmation process, which was initiated in October 2025, marking the first phase of the new law’s implementation.
During this period, the Electoral Office said it was legally restricted from processing voter registrations through the previous system or using the old registration forms. Additionally, a new system for generating voter identification numbers, compliant with the legislation, had to be developed.
The Electoral Office is now confirming that it is fully prepared to commence the second phase of the registration of voters using the newly developed, modernized system.
It said the updated system encompasses advanced software, a highly technological registration platform, and specialized training for a team of skilled personnel, including registering officers and assistant registering officers.
These officers will utilise computerized devices capable of entering data, scanning required documents, and capturing photographs of applicants to facilitate the registration process.