Jamaica’s voters’ list, like others around the globe, will contain the names of deceased electors, however, steps are taken to remove those names from the list once the information on their passing is verified.
The EOJ works with several private and public institutions to gather information on deceased electors and has built relationships with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and Wellness, hospitals, television and radio stations, to share records and provide information on persons who have died.
Funeral homes also play a major role in confirming the identity of electors who have died, so that their names can be removed from the voters’ list.
Also, a relative of an individual who has passed on, can submit to the Electoral Office via email, a death certificate for an elector.
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Names of deceased routinely removed from voters’ list
Jamaica’s voters’ list, like others around the globe, will contain the names of deceased electors, however, steps are taken to remove those names from the list once the information on their passing is verified.
The EOJ works with several private and public institutions to gather information on deceased electors and has built relationships with key stakeholders such as the Ministry of Health and Wellness, hospitals, television, and radio stations, to share records and provide information on persons who have died.
Funeral homes also play a major role in confirming the identity of electors who have died, so that their names can be removed from the voters’ list.
Also, a relative of an individual who has passed on, can submit to the Electoral Office via email, a death certificate for an elector.
In October 2019, the EOJ entered a partnership with the RJRGLEANER Communications Group geared at updating the national voters’ list.
This special collaboration gave the ECJ access to death notices published in The Gleaner newspaper since 1998 to accelerate the identification and removal of deceased electors and was facilitated using the Gleaner’s expansive library and catalogue of the names and photographs that were collected over the years.
Section 6 subsection 1 (d), (e) and (f) of the Electoral Commission Interim Act mandates the ECJ to compile and maintain the register of eligible electors, to verify the identity of every eligible elector and to prepare the official list of electors in accordance with the Representation of the People Act.
To effectively maintain this list, the Commission must not only add the names of newly registered electors but must also remove the names of electors who have died.
Generally, the ECJ removes the names of deceased electors from the voters’ list through information provided by political parties and their representatives, the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) Returning Officers and the EOJ constituency staff. It also receives a quarterly list from the Registrar General’s Department (RGD).
Section 8 Subsection 3 of the Representation of the People Act says “The Registrar-General shall, at intervals of three months, transmit to the Chief Electoral Officer a list specifying the names, addresses and occupations, of all adults, who have died during that three months.”
To ensure accuracy, the EOJ went into the constituencies of each elector with the same name and age provided from the RGD, to confirm which one is the correct name to remove from the voters’ list.
EOJ verifiers have visited almost 300,000 homes of electors 40 years and older to confirm their status on the voters’ list and has engaged public and private stakeholders to share their death records with the EOJ.
Once electors have been identified as dead, the EOJ conducts investigations into the reports to confirm the deaths. Electors confirmed as deceased will have their names gradually removed from the Voters’ List.
Members of the public may submit information on dead electors by visiting any EOJ constituency office or sending an e-mail to eojinfo@eoj.com.jm or calling the EOJ toll-free at 888-991-VOTE (8683). To report a death to the EOJ, for a deceased elector to be removed from the voters' list, send the elector's full name, date of birth, address along with any funeral memorabilia.
The Electoral Office, as required under Section 7 Subsection 1 of the Representation of the People Act, is to publish two voters’ lists annually: “The Chief Electoral Officer, shall every six months, or at such other intervals as the Minister may, on the advice of the Committee, from time to time prescribe in accordance with the rules set out in the First Schedule prepare an official list of electors in every polling division and forthwith publish such list in the prescribed manner.”
That list is published on May 31 and November 30 of each year.
The Electoral Commission of Jamaica, through the Electoral Office of Jamaica, is the body responsible for the conduct of elections in Jamaica. It comprises eight members appointed by the Governor-General; four selected commissioners, four nominated Commissioners and the Director of Elections.
