Reports indicate Dominica’s Cabinet may have approved US $554,000 to fund a National ID Card System

Sample of National ID Card

Dominica’s electoral process has been under the microscope for some years, due to many years of delay in implementing essential electoral reforms. Government of claims that it supports electoral reforms, but in actuality, very little has been done to give effect to that claim to date, in order to assure Free and Fair Elections.
 
The Electoral Office claims it had been working for some time on the implementation of a Multi-Purpose ID Card, which would not only be used for voting in an election, but could serve other uses as well. A few years ago, that Office then claimed that it had purchased an ID Card making system, which would have been operationalized imminently.  A few years later, the Electoral Office advised that due to technical difficulties encountered, it would be moving to a new system.
 
The Electoral office is now advising that upon request by the Electoral Commission, through the office of the President of Dominica, Cabinet approved in February 2017, the sum of EC$1,505,163, for funding a new National Identification Card System, which will allow for the enrolment of all eligible electors, and the issuance of a National ID Card to them.
 
Government now says the Attorney General’s office is working with the Electoral Office, to ensure the timely submission to Parliament of ‘Draft Bills’ to give effect to the implementation of a new ID card system, and other changes, for approval at the next sitting of Parliament.
 
Government now says it is pleased that a confirmation and registration process which will be undertaken when the ID Card system is being effected, will not disenfranchise legitimate voters, but will ensure that the voters list will be revised, and a more secure system will be put in place for the conduct of elections.
 
Meanwhile, the Opposition UWP has made it clear that no election should be called in Dominica, without the implementation of Voter ID Cards.