ECJ to Update Elector Voter Identification System

Director of Elections Glasspole Brown (second left) confirms partnership with Leonel Dheming Regional Sales Representative (centre) 
and Vladimir Medina Bohorquez, Project manager (second right) from Thales DIS and are joined by 
Asst. Director of Elections - Information Systems, Theisea Allison (left) and Director Public Procurement Yanique Douglas Onfroy (right).

KINGSTON, Jamaica; On May 10, 2022, the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) and Thales DIS signed a contract at the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) Head Office, representing the formalization of their partnership in upgrading the Electronic Voter Identification System (EVIS) which will enable greater use of technology in accurately identifying electors in future elections.

Representatives from Thales, are on a visit to Jamaica to train EOJ technical staff with the use of the Electronic Voter Identification Solution and finalize plans of delivering hand held devices which will be used in future elections to identify electors by using their fingerprints. This device is expected to assist in the reduction of time electors spend in lines at the polling stations.

The Thales DIS Mobile Voter Authentication Terminal is an easy-to-use, electronic handheld device (EHD), high performance Android-based device that provides an efficient and reliable method of authentication at voting stations.

The updated EVIS software will allow for four main functions: (a) opening of voting in a verification mode, (b) accurate identification and verification of electors (c) maintenance of audit logs and lastly (d) the ability to generate statistical data and reports.

“Our Electronic Voter Identification system (EVIS) has become outdated and it is used mainly to prevent elector impersonation and multiple voting by persons. We are therefore very hopeful that this partnership with Thales will enable greater effectiveness in our efforts to maintain the integrity of the electoral system as they provide us with upgraded systems and software,” said Glasspole Brown, Director of Elections.

The handheld devices are to arrive in the island in September 2022 after which a pilot training will be done to test and modify the system to suit the Jamaican electoral context. The contract will be financed by the Government of Jamaica through the Electoral Commission of Jamaica.

Thales DIS (formerly known as Gemalto) is an international organization operating in over 200 countries providing products, solutions and active programs worldwide with specific expertise in secure document issuance, biometrics, document readers, authentication, ID management and data protection.

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