KINGSTON, Jamaica —The Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) says it has suspended the fee for registered electors to replace their Voter ID card, following the impact of Hurricane Melissa.

According to the EOJ in a media release on Thursday, this temporary measure is intended to ease the burden on citizens whose ID cards may have been lost or damaged during the hurricane.

Director of Elections, Glasspole Brown, underscored the importance of assisting electors with recovering important documents.

“We recognise that a significant number of individuals and families were affected by the storm at varying levels and that the Voter ID card is a key form of identification for many persons. We also acknowledge the importance of replacing critical identification documents at this time. Given the nature and scale of the impact of the hurricane across the island, we will replace Voter ID cards free of charge,” he said.

EOJ says its constituency offices in several of the most affected parishes are operating with reduced opening hours due to a lack of connectivity and other utilities.

EOJ offices in affected parishes, including Manchester, St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny, are open Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 am to 12 noon.

The EOJ offices in Black River, St Elizabeth and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, are temporarily closed due to infrastructural damage from the category five storm.

Electors who require services in these areas are urged to visit any of the other EOJ constituency offices. A list of offices may be found on the EOJ’s website or by contacting the head office at (876) 922-0425-9.

EOJ says constituency offices will gradually return to normal operating hours as critical services are returned to the parishes. The EOJ says it remains committed to supporting Jamaicans during this recovery period and is ensuring continued access to its services.