We are at that point in the term once again when the state of our electoral system comes fully into focus, the urgent need for reforms to modernize the preparations for and staging of our general election is underscored, and our political leaders seem less focused on governing and more concerned with getting re-elected.
Just over a year after Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis declared that there will be no changes to the boundaries ahead of the next election, the constitutionally-mandated Constituencies Commission is preparing its final report now that it has the latest numbers on registered voters.
Golden Isles in New Providence, the largest constituency as it relates to population, had 7,068 registered voters as of 10:44 a.m. on Monday, according to Acting Parliamentary Commissioner Lavado Duncanson.
That’s up from 6,711 at the time of the 2017 election, and 5,036 in 2012.
As of Monday, Killarney had 6,609 registered voters, Tall Pines had 6,110, and Carmichael had 5,953 registered voters – all increased numbers over the numbers registered in 2017.
Grand Bahama is also seeing large numbers of registered voters in some constituencies.
There are so far 6,616 registered voters in Central Grand Bahama; 6,317 in East Grand Bahama; 6,191 in Marco City; 5,626 in West Grand Bahama and Bimini and 5,576 in Pineridge. These are all increased numbers over 2017.
Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins and Long Cay (MICAL) remains the constituency with the smallest population. As of Monday, 1,275 voters were registered. That’s down from the 1,348 registered in 2017.
There are over 13,000 voters who registered since 2017, according to Duncanson, who told us that the register – now permanent – is constantly being cleaned up and the names of deceased individuals are being removed.
As of Monday, there were 130,725 voters registered in New Providence, 30,326 in Grand Bahama and 28,002 on the Family Islands.
Chairman of the Constituencies Commission, House Speaker Halson Moultrie, has already stated that the commission may recommend four to five new seats to ensure voter parity, but no one we know actually expects so many more seats will be added.
There are currently 39 seats.
The commission was appointed last September and Moultrie said on Monday it intends to conclude its sitting next week.
Article 68 of the constitution mandates the review of constituency boundaries at intervals of not more than five years.
The commission’s members comprise of the speaker as chairman, and a justice of the Supreme Court, appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the chief justice; that judge serves as deputy chairman.
In addition, the governor general appoints two members of the House in accordance with the advice of the prime minister and one member of the House who is appointed on the advice of the leader of the opposition.
In carrying out its review of boundaries, the commission shall be guided by the general consideration that the number of voters entitled to vote for the purposes of electing every member of the House of Assembly shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be the same.
The commission also has to take into account special considerations such as the needs of sparsely populated areas, the practicability of elected members maintaining contact with electors in such areas, as well as geographic conditions.
The prime minister is constitutionally mandated to lay before the House of Assembly for its approval a draft of an order by the governor general for giving effect, whether with or without modifications, to the recommendations contained in the commission’s report.
Parity
Former Attorney General Sean McWeeney, who headed the Constitutional Review Commission appointed by Perry Christie in his last term, said the constitutional requirement does not envision the prime minister using his authority to make wholesale changes to the commission’s recommendations.
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