The Tribune

By ALICIA WALLACE

EVERY election season, people are on high alert. The closer we get to the election date, the greater the agitation, as we take note of circumstances and behaviours that do not support—and may prevent—free and fair elections within which all eligible people can participate. There are growing concerns about fraudulent documents and the buying of votes. It’s a glaring reminder of our lack of trust in government systems and services.

This week, it was reported that a 33-year-old was arrested, along with a 31-year-old employee, related to a fake voter's card that was presented at the National Insurance Board. This has led to questions about non-Bahamians being facilitated to get voter’s cards in order to vote in a particular way. This is linked to concerns people have consistently raised about people becoming naturalized Bahamians in recent months. Every year, year round, there are comments about the inadequacy of existing systems and the ease with which they can be misused.

“I am satisfied that the persons involved were seeking to use fraudulent voter cards to obtain other supporting identification documents, rather than for the purpose of voting,” said Commissioner of the Parliamentary Registration Department Harrison Thompson. In addition, the Commissioner pointed to the features of the voter’s card that make detection of a fraudulent version possible.

Barriers to voter registration

The reliance on paper within government systems is a common point for criticism. It not only presents security issues, but significantly slows processes. We have heard, for example, report after report of people spending more than an hour to register to vote or transfer to another constituency. There is no excuse for a simple registration to take such a long time.

As if the absurd wait time was not enough to discourage voters, the clothing issue of 2017 returned. People working at registration locations were telling those in line that they needed to cover their shoulders for the photo. This is, of course, incorrect. In 2016, with voter registration at an alarming low, then Commissioner of the Parliamentary Registration Department Sherlyn Hall defended staff who turned women away. Soon after, then Minister of National Security Dr. Bernard Nottage stated that any staff turning people away due to attire should be immediately dismissed. After that point, it was clear that women did not have to cover cleavage, shoulders, or arms in order to register to vote.

There were no grounds in 2016 or 2017--and there are no grounds this year--to turn anyone away or require anyone to change their clothing or cover with a scarf or any other item.

Empty campaigns

Far too many people are already uninterested in voting. This election season has been lacklustre. The FNM manifesto and the PLP charter—both unoriginal and uninspiring—have only been shared this week. Substance has been severely lacking. The ads appearing on social media offer no information about candidates or party priorities. In these ads, attacks are launched against the other parties and party leaders without giving any real reasons to support any candidate or party. Campaign dollars are certainly not being spent on policy development and meaningful engagement with the public on substantive issues.

These concerns are related. There’s tremendous distrust in the government and government systems. They do not inspire confidence. There are many questions about the access members of staff have to sensitive information and material that can easily be misused. There are inconsistencies in the application of rules, policies, and personal ideas about what is “proper.”

These issues are all upsetting. For some, they can be alienating. Many have decided to opt out of various processes, deeming them too difficult, the people involved too fickle, or the outcomes too inconsequential. The people, at large, need to be re-engaged in governance, and that requires building trust. That cannot happen with broken systems or people who see themselves as players in a game they are determined to win by any means.

Changes need to be made to the way this country operates, and they must be a part of any plan to move us forward.

Advanced polling

Advanced polling for the 2026 general election is on April 30. Advanced polling applications are open for select groups of people, including people over the age of 65, people with disabilities, people who expect to be hospitalized on polling day, and overseas voters. Applications can be made in person at Cable Beach Post Office, Elizabeth Estates Post Office, the main post office at Town Centre Mall, and the Parliamentary Department on Farrington Road in New Providence and at Lucian Lodge Hall on East Sunrise Highway and the Parliamentary Registration Department Sub-Office on East Mall Drive in Grand Bahama.

Online applications are available on MyGateway. More information is available at elections.gov.bs/advanced-poll-eligibility.

Recommendations

1.  Spit White Lime. This dup exhibition with work by KEEYA and Angelika Wallace Whitfield opens at The Current Gallery in Baha Mar on Thursday, April 16 at 6pm. “Rooted in the cadence of Bahamian oral tradition, this exhibition reflects on storytelling as a vessel for cultural memory, survival, and transformation. Through mixed media practices, KEEYA and Wallace Whitfield reimagine inherited narratives—activating them as living forces that shape identity, community, and place. These works speak to the power of stories carried in the body and shared across generations, reminding us that what we preserve continues to define us.”

2.  Nature Matters: Vital Poems from the Global Majority. This anthology of nature poetry, edited by Mona Arshi and Karen McCarthy Woolf, is the Feminist Book Club pick for this month. Join Equality Bahamas and Poinciana Paper Press in reading this book and discussing it on Wednesday, April 22 at 6pm. The collection calls us to “reconsider nature poetry from global-majority perspectives” and its themes include the climate crisis and the Anthropocene, urban nature, solitude and alienation, protest and radical empathy, and Indigenous wisdom and alternative histories.” Bernadine Evaristo called it “an exquisitely profound and ground-breaking testament to our natural world by many of the most powerful poetic voices of our times.” Olive Senior and Kei Miller are among the Caribbean poets whose work appears in Nature Matters. Join the discussion on April 22 at Poinciana Paper Press, 12 Parkgate Road. For Feminist Book Club updates, register at tiny.cc/fbc2026.