In a report to Parliament last Thursday, the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) recommended several changes to local government and general election procedures to improve the efficiency and security of the taking of the polls.

Also, Fitz Jackson, acting as Leader of the House, gave notice of the Constituencies Constitutional Amendment Act to amend the Constitution of Jamaica to provide that for the purpose of election of members of the House of Representatives, the maximum number of constituencies into which Jamaica shall be divided be increased from 60 to 65.

Jackson also reintroduced the Electoral Commission Interim Act which seeks to replace the Electoral Advisory Committee with the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

The recommendations, which were made after the two previous elections were reviewed, would effect changes to the sections of the Representation of the People Act (ROPA), and sections of the Parish Councils and the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation Act that govern:

. assisted voting for disabled electors;

. the upper limit of electors in a polling division;

. the recognition of political parties so as to allow for scrutineers during the registration of electors; and

. the secrecy of the vote and electors voting openly.

The EAC’s report states that the recommendations had been made in preparation for the Local Government Elections that are due by law by the end of June 2006.

Specifically, the first change recommended would allow an elector who is physically incapacitated otherwise than by blindness, to have the option of being allowed to vote with the assistance of a companion.

However, the companion/assistant would be required to make an oath of obligation, promising to ensure the intent and secrecy of the vote. Also, no person should at any election be allowed to act as the friend of more than one blind or incapacitated elector.

With regard to polling divisions and number of electors, the EAC recommended that the average number of electors in each polling division be increased from 250 to 400. This, the EAC’s report states, would result in significant financial savings as it would entail a decrease in the number of polling divisions, resulting in a decrease in the number of election day workers who are employed as presiding officers, poll clerks, and indoor agents.

The EAC stated that this would also result in an increase in the calibre of presiding officers and poll clerks assigned, as the total pool needed would be smaller. This would also make training and deployment more efficient and effective.

As has been done in the past, the report states, a geographical area with sparse population would have polling divisions with fewer than 400 electors but those with densely populated areas would now have polling divisions that average 400 electors.

In the case of the recognition of political parties to provide scrutineers for enumeration, the EAC recommended that ROPA be amended so that in addition to the existing provisions, a political party which became entitled to appoint scrutineers and did not attain five per cent of the total national vote, or have five or more members in the House of Representatives, would no longer be entitled to appoint a scrutineer in respect to each polling station.

This would obviate the practice of political parties appointing scrutineers even after the result of polls did not indicate any comparable level of support by the electorate.

In the case of the secrecy of the vote and electors voting openly, the EAC recommended that the laws be amended so that it would be an offence for an elector, having marked a ballot issued to him, to display that unfolded and marked ballot paper to any person in a polling station or in the vicinity, in a manner which would allow any other person to see how the elector had marked the ballot, with the intention to facilitate fraud, bribery or to intimidate other potential voters. In the first instance, the ballot so displayed should be deemed “spoilt” and another issued to the voters with an appropriate warning from the presiding officer.

The recommendation went on:

“In order to establish the intention of the voter it is proposed that: if the second ballot is marked and again displayed by the voter in the manner stated above, that display should be deemed evidence of the voter’s intention to facilitate fraud, bribery or to intimidate, and as a consequence of this, the second ballot so displayed should be deemed to have been spoilt again and no further ballot shall be issued to the voter.”