With plans for the long-awaited Local Government Elections back on track, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will commence its Claims and Objections exercise from today.
In a statement over the weekend, the Elections Secretariat said the Claims and Objections exercise is integral to the preparation of the Registers of Voters for the conduct of elections in the 80 Local Authority Areas (LAAs).
“During this exercise, any person who will be 18 years and older by the 22nd May, 2023, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, or naturalization, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, can make a Claim to entry on the Register of Voters (RoV) on or before 19th February, 2023 providing that he/she is not listed in the Preliminary List of Voters (PLV), which has been posted in every Constituency in the respective Local Authority Areas,” the Elections Secretariat explained.
It said persons desirous of making a Claim to be included in the Register of Voters are required to visit the Office of the Assistant Electoral Registrar (AER) responsible for their Local Authority Area with their original Birth Certificate, valid Passport, Adoption Certificate, if required, or Naturalization Certificate / Certificate of Registration, to be registered for inclusion.
Existing registrants are also being advised to check the Preliminary List of Voters to verify the accuracy of their registration information. These lists have been posted at two prominent locations in each constituency, at the Offices of the Electoral Registrars and Assistant Electoral Registrars, and on GECOM’s website at www.gecom.org.gy.
“Persons who need to update their registration records e.g. change or correction to their names and occupation, or to apply for a transfer if they have changed their addresses since they were registered, are advised that they can apply for such transactions during this exercise,” GECOM said.
The relevant source documents such as an original Marriage Certificate, Deed Poll with Birth Certificate, or a new Birth Certificate reflecting the changes would be required to effect the necessary changes.
Further, Objections against the inclusion of names in the PLV can be made to the Assistant Electoral Registrar (AER) between February 13, 2023 to February 22, 2023.
“Objections can be made by a Voter who is listed in the same constituency list in which the person being objected to is listed. Objections can also be made by accredited Scrutineers of Political Parties provided that any such Scrutineer must be accredited to the LAA in which the person being objected to is listed. The relevant original document(s) such as an original Death Certificate must be presented at the time of the hearing of objections to support the basis upon which the objection is made,” GECOM explained.
Notably, the Continuous Registration Exercise and the Claims and Objections Exercise are being conducted simultaneously, and according to GECOM, first time registrants would be eligible to vote at the upcoming Local Government Elections, however, they must visit the Office of the AER in their Local Authority Area to ensure their names are included on the Voters’ Register.
“Similarly, persons who are required to have changes or corrections done to their particulars as stated on the PLV and make objections to the inclusion of names on the list must also visit the Office of the AER in the LAA where they reside in order for the corrections to reflected on the official ROV,” GECOM said.
The Commission is urging all eligible persons who would be eligible to vote at the upcoming Local Government Elections, but are not listed in the Preliminary List, to do so. Persons are also encouraged to object to the inclusion of the name of any person who they believe do not
meet the eligibility criteria to be in the list.
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