CLEAN UP OF THE VOTERS LIST ENTERS ITS FINAL PHASE

The Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has entered the final phase of the most extensive cleanup of Barbados’ voters register in more than three decades—an exercise the Commission says is essential for restoring accuracy, credibility, and trust in the electoral system.

Commission Chair Ramon Alleyne KC made the announcement during a media briefing, explaining that the effort began in August with a full national enumeration. Enumerators, supported by postal workers familiar with local districts, were dispatched into every parish to confirm household information, verify eligible voters, and match citizens to the correct polling districts.

Alleyne noted that an enumeration of this scale has not taken place in Barbados for over 30 years. In the absence of such verification, longstanding issues have persisted—most notably the presence of deceased persons on the voters list, individuals listed at outdated addresses, and voters placed in the wrong constituencies or polling districts. The Chairman described the exercise as long overdue.

Following the enumeration exercise, the EBC opened registration centres and again urged the public to verify their information. Citizens were encouraged to check the Commission’s website, visit the nearest office, and confirm their details before the cleanup reached its final stage.

Now, after months of data entry and cross-checking, the EBC has identified 8,281 names that must be removed from the register under the laws of Barbados. They include 4,923 individuals who have been living overseas for more than five consecutive years, and 3,368 confirmed deceased persons.

“These are significant numbers,” Alleyne said. “But let me make it clear—no one will be deleted because they did not see an enumerator. That is not the process. We are simply applying the law.”

To ensure transparency, the list of names scheduled for deletion will be posted on the EBC’s website and published in the nation’s newspapers over two consecutive weekends. Allen is urging Barbadians to examine the list carefully and alert the Commission immediately if they identify errors.

“If your cousin has returned home, if your mother should be on the list, or if we have the wrong information—we need to know,” he said. “We cannot complete this exercise without the public’s help.”

The current voters list contains approximately 260,000 names, and while the deletions account for less than five percent of the total, Allen says the update is critical. It will also support future assessments related to constituency sizes and voter turnout, although he cautioned that no decisions will be made until the full dataset is complete.

The Chairman acknowledged that enumerators encountered challenges, including public hesitation fueled by concerns about scams and impersonation. Despite this, he said the majority of Barbadians were cooperative and that the team completed as thorough an exercise as possible.

The EBC aims to present a fully sanitized voters register by January 31, 2026, fulfilling its statutory obligations.

The Commission says it will continue investigating, updating, and correcting information right up to the next general election.