The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE Parliamentary Registration Department (PRD) on Tuesday launched a new electoral system that will allow biometric voter cards to be produced locally as the government moves to phase out the purple voter’s card.

Under the new system, biometric cards will be available within three to five days of application in New Providence and seven to 14 days in Grand Bahama and the Family Islands.

Parliamentary Commissioner Harrison Thompson said registered voters would now be able to obtain their biometric cards directly from the PRD without undergoing a verification process at the passport office.

He encouraged registered voters to apply for the new cards, noting that fingerprinting and facial recognition photographs could now be completed at the department’s headquarters.

During Tuesday’s official launch, Prime Minister Philip “Brave” Davis and other parliamentarians received a demonstration of the new system. Mr Thompson said Mr Davis was impressed but acknowledged that there was room for improvement, particularly in speeding up the process. “He wanted to make it more efficient and more accessible to the population at large,” Mr Thompson said.

He urged all registered voters to obtain their biometric cards before the next general election.

Lucretia Dean-Rolle, the department’s project manager, said officials were processing renewals and new registrations for people aged 18 and older who had never received a voter’s card. She said those wishing to transition to the biometric card could also apply.

The cards will now be printed in-house at the PRD rather than overseas, as was previously the case.

Mrs Dean-Rolle said the change would reduce production times, noting that voters had previously faced lengthy waits while cards were printed abroad. She said the department had also encountered problems with inaccurate data being captured during applications and renewals.

Some biometric cards are already available for collection at various registration stations following the department’s earlier soft launch.

Wesley Owen, project manager at Canadian Bank Note Company (CBN), said the company had extensive experience working with the Bahamian government across several departments, including on the passport system.

He said one of the challenges of the PRD project was ensuring voter records were accurate and complete.

The department undertook a major data-cleaning exercise to address discrepancies, contacting relevant government agencies and voters to verify information before the system went live.