Parliament must lead changes to boost voter turnout, says EOJ

THE Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) has responded to a challenge from Chief Justice Bryan Sykes for it to implement measures to tackle declining voter participation with a clear indication that it does not have that power.

Director of Elections Glasspole Brown on Wednesday told the Jamaica Observer that while the EOJ is concerned about voter apathy, any changes aimed at making the voting process more accessible must be determined by Parliament.

“The issue of voter apathy has been an issue that has been discussed over and over at the commission in terms of how can we have an impact in terms of encouraging persons to turn out on the day, and certainly that’s an issue of concern to the EOJ,” said Brown.

He underscored that the EOJ is significantly limited in the strategies that it could try to appeal to voters, because of its mandate to follow the framework established under the Representation of the People Act, which governs the voting process.

“Well, it’s not for me to comment on that,” said Brown, in response to proposals from Sykes for several measures to be implemented to tackle the low voter turnout which was under 40 per cent for the most recent general election in 2025.

Addressing the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) Long Service Awards on April 29, Sykes argued that the body could no longer focus solely on protecting the integrity and fairness of elections. He challenged the ECJ to confront voter apathy, which he suggested is equally damaging to democracy.

BROWN… if the Act, or legislators, takes a decision, that’s the way we’re going to go. Certainly, it’s for us to do whatever the Act requires us to do

At the time, Sykes argued that taking voting into nursing homes, hospitals, and prisons, were options to consider.

“I place this challenge before the Electoral Commission. Do not be satisfied with preservation. Commit to evolution, because democracy is not static. It is a living system, and like all living systems, it must grow, or it will decline,” said Sykes.

Jamaica has seen growing disengagement of the electorate in recent elections, with polls consistently recording low voter turnout. According to official, figures from the ECJ, of the 2,077,799 registered voters, only 39.5 per cent cast their ballots in 2025, with just 819,749 people going to the polls.

This represented a slight increase over the 38 per cent turnout for the 2020 General Election. Additionally, only 21 per cent of voters under 30 years old exercised their franchise in the 2025 General Election.

But Brown told the Observer that it would be for the legislators to decide exactly if the recommendations from Sykes are valid.

“As the Act is currently structured, it is not allowed. So those changes over time would have to be looked at, certainly at the parliamentary level, for them to decide whether or not they need to amend the constitution or the Act that governs the voting operations, said Brown.

According to Brown, the ECJ has made moves to tackle the disengagement of the electorate over the years by undertaking voter education within schools and public awareness initiatives aimed at encouraging participation.

“We have encouraged persons to be a part of the process from time to time. We have also a programme that we have gone into schools so as to begin to, at that level, to sensitise schoolchildren to be able to be a part of the process and why it is important for them to be involved in the process. And we also have a programme where we have gone into colleges and schools also and sort of manage or execute their elections, and those programmes are geared more to sensitise persons as to the process,” said Brown.

He insisted that broader reforms, suggested by Sykes, intended to make voting easier or more accessible would require legislative consideration and approval, noting that the ECJ cannot unilaterally implement changes to the electoral process.

“If the Act, or legislators, takes a decision, that’s the way we’re going to go. Certainly, it’s for us to do whatever the Act requires us to do. We’re so dictated by whatever is in the Act,” underscored Brown.