The Tribune

FREE National Movement chairman Dr Duane Sands said the party has found “serious new problems” in the voters register, escalating its dispute with election officials and renewing questions about readiness for the next general election.

He said the party wrote to the Parliamentary Registration Department after identifying polling divisions with no voters assigned, duplicate entries and deceased people still listed.

“In its review, the FNM found polling divisions with no voters assigned, including Killarney Polling Division 3, Southern Shores Polling Division 4, and Tall Pines Polling Division 4. It is not normal for polling divisions to be skipped in this manner,” Dr Sands wrote yesterday.

“The party also identified what appear to be residual or improperly transferred records following the Constituency Unit Transfer process. These issues affect Central and South Eleuthera, MICAL, North Eleuthera, Free Town, North Abaco, Tall Pines, and Golden Isles. The discrepancies suggest incomplete or flawed data migration after the boundary adjustments.”

Dr Sands said some voters who registered or transferred months earlier were missing from the electronic register and that first-time voters were wrongly turned away despite presenting valid Bahamian passports. He also alleged inconsistent application of registration rules and said additional irregularities continue to emerge.

“The voters register is the foundation of electoral integrity. If that foundation is unstable, the entire system is called into question,” he said.

He called for a full audit and reconciliation of the revised register following the Boundary Commission changes, immediate correction of missing polling divisions, a comprehensive review of the Constituency Unit Transfer process and public clarification of irregularities.

The Parliamentary Registration Department did not respond to questions about the latest claims up to press time.

The allegations build on earlier complaints by the FNM that young voters were discouraged from registering at the South Beach and Mall centres.

Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson previously rejected those accusations, saying officials were instructed to facilitate registration once applicants presented a valid Bahamian passport.

Dr Sands also previously claimed a PLP candidate was campaigning inside the waiting room of the administrator’s office in Marsh Harbour while people registered to vote. Mr Thompson said that the allegation was brought to the attention of the local administrator and has since been addressed.