KINGSTON, Jamaica — Electors who do not have a Voter ID card will still be permitted to cast their ballot on Election Day, September 3, as long as their names appear on the voters’ list.

This was disclosed by Director of Elections, Glasspole Brown, during a recent interview with JIS News.

“As long as you are on the voters’ list, you will be allowed to vote, but the process will involve you filling out some forms and taking an oath,” said Brown.

He explained that taking an oath involves swearing that you are the correct registered elector.

The director further pointed out that while voting is facilitated without a voter ID card, electors who are without their renewed ID card are being encouraged to collect them from their Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) constituency office.

“If you are not yet in the possession of your new voter ID card, we suggest that you do so quickly before September 3,” Brown urged.

Recently, the EOJ reported that approximately 120,000 voter ID cards were in its offices waiting to be collected by electors.

Many of the uncollected cards belong to individuals who registered to vote as far back as 2016, receiving the ID card that would have expired in 2019, but was later extended until 2021.

Meanwhile, Public Relations and Communications Manager at EOJ, Daynia Harper, said that the use of the voter ID makes the identification process at polling stations smoother.

“Having the voter ID card on Election Day makes the process quicker and it makes it smoother, resulting in shorter lines and shorter wait times for persons,” she said.

— JIS