KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) says it does not sell access nor has it granted access to the elector registration voter identification database which includes electors’ biometric and demographic information.

It was responding to claims made in a Gleaner article Sunday that the commission was selling voters’ data.

In a statement, the ECJ explained that it has created an extract of the identification card database for the purpose of ID verification that is granted to mainly government regulated institutions.

It said this database utilised by these entities assists with authentication of voter ID cards which are required by these entities to be presented by the elector who owns the card, and therefore necessitates authorisation which requires the verification of the information of the identification service.

The voter ID card is regarded as the National ID card and is widely used across the country for opening bank accounts, collecting remittances and facilitating access to loans at a number of entities.

The commission said that, like many other forms of identification in Jamaica, the ID card requires corroboration by the responsible organisation which houses and maintains such a database, who in this context is the ECJ as mandated by the Representation of the People’s Act, from those using the voter ID card.

It said the fee that is charged to these institutions in need of verifying electors’ card information is the actual cost for maintenance of this replica database and not a scheme for the ECJ to be profiteering from the personal information of its stakeholders.

The process of an elector presenting his or her card to an entity, indicating to the entity that this is a genuine voter ID card issued by the ECJ requires these entities to do the necessary verification of the card, the commission explained, adding that this verification process can only be accessed by these entities with the card holders’ unique identification number represented on each voter ID card.

The ECJ further assured all electors that it prides itself highly on its integrity and professionalism as the responsible entity in maintaining the country’s voters’ list and would not do anything to prejudice the trust that it has developed as a national institution in Jamaica.

“We remain committed to the implementation of free and fair elections in Jamaica and to the protection of all electors’ data, ensuring the identity of each elector,” the commission said.