The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) publishes two voters’ list each year. One list is published on May 31 and the other six months later on November 30. Registration takes place on a continuous basis and persons desirous of being added to the list can simply visit their ECJ Constituency Office and apply.

Who can register?

Every Jamaican citizen who possesses the following qualifications is entitled to register to vote;

• Is a Jamaican citizen of eighteen years or over and resident in Jamaica or
• Is a Commonwealth citizen who is eighteen (18) years of age or older and who is resident in Jamaica at the date of registration and who have been a resident for at least twelve months prior to the date of registration.
• Is not subjected to any legal incapacity to vote such as being of an unsound mind, convicted or under a suspended sentence.

The process is simple. Here’s how.

Step 1 – Visit Constituency Office

Visit the EOJ office preferably in your constituency. Constituency offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays to Thursdays and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Fridays. If you have just turned 18, you may be asked to show proof of age, so bring your birth certificate with you. Click here to find your constituency office.

Step 2 – Personal Data Collected

At the office, the registration clerk will assist you in filling out Registration Record Card also known as the RRC. This form is used to record the elector’s demographic information, photograph, and fingerprints.

Step 3 – Residence Verification*

After you have filled out the application, EOJ representatives and scrutineers (political party representatives) will visit your residence at a later date to verify the address you gave. The registration process is not complete until your residence has been verified.

Step 4 – Await Processing

Once your address has been verified, your application is processed. Your information is verified for accuracy and your fingerprints are cross-matched to ensure there are no duplications.

Step 5 – ID Card Issued

When the registration process is complete, your name is added to the voters’ list and your ID card will be issued, but only after the voters list has been published. Depending on when you register, this may be May 31 or November 30.

Your voters’ ID is used as a de facto national ID (and in some cases internationally) accepted. Be sure to take it with you on Election Day.

* The law requires that registration takes into account the place where you are ‘normally resident’. This means the place where you call home and it can be proven that you live there. If you have more than one residence, you will need to indicate the one in the constituency you prefer to vote.