Applications for constituency transfers must now be certified – Findlay

Persons seeking transfers of their registration from one constituency to another, must now have their applications certified by a reputable person in the constituency.

Supervisor of Elections Sylvia Findlay said this procedure was introduced because it is not possible for registering officers to know everyone who lives in a constituency.{{more}}

“… It is not possible for a registering officer to go all through a constituency to find out if Mary was living in a particular area that … she said she lives. So, what we have in place now, the form is given to you, you take it to a reputable person … in your area,” Findlay said, as she spoke on the Views on Issues programme on NBC radio on September 20.

To move from one constituency to another, a person must have been living in the new constituency for a minimum of six months. The registering officer will conduct an interview to determine where exactly the person is living, then the person must fill out a form requesting the transfer.

“You must also sign the form, because most of the time, names appear elsewhere and the electorate will make noise and say ‘me see me name somewhere else,’ but they forget that they did request the transfer, so that is why it is so important to fill out this form, sign it and it is kept at the electoral office as a record,” said Charles Samuel, registering officer for East St George, who was also a panelist on the programme.

Included among the persons who may sign the forms are justices of the peace, ministers of religion, head teachers, lawyers or an officer of an organization that is reputable.

Findlay said it is important that whoever signs also has a stamp, which she said is “the most important thing.

“…because anybody can sign a form for you, but we need to track the person down who signed the form. So, the person must have a stamp and the person will certify that you have been living in that area for the extended period. The form is taken back to the registering officer and then the registration process is completed,” Findlay explained.

The elections supervisor, however, said that candidates in upcoming general elections cannot sign to certify the transfer.

“… as long as the person has been declared as a candidate, regardless of the position the person holds, that individual cannot certify the transfer,” Findlay said.