The Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ) is the independent statutory agency of the Government of Jamaica responsible for organising, conducting and supervising elections, by-elections and referendums.[2]
Objective of the Electoral Commission
The Electoral Commission (Interim) Act (2006)[3] defines the objective of the Electoral Commission as:
"to safeguard the democratic foundations of Jamaica by enabling eligible electors to elect, through free and fair elections, their representatives to govern Jamaica."
Functions of the Electoral Commission
The functions of the Electoral Commission are defined by law and in summary are
Establish policies for governing the registration of electors
Conduct general elections, local government elections, by-elections or referendums
Compile and maintain the register of eligible electors
Verify the identity of eligible electors
Approve political parties eligible to receive state funding
administer electoral funding and financial disclosure requirements
monitor election expenditure by candidates or their official agents
review the number of constituencies and boundaries
determine polling divisions within constituencies
History
Formation of the Electoral Commission
In October 2006, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the Electoral Commission (Interim) Act 2006, which established the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ). The Commission replaced the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) that had been established by the Representation of the People Act 1979[4][5]
The day-to-day operations of the ECJ are carried out through the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) which is a public government agency established in 1943 to administer the holding of Parliamentary and Local Government Elections.
The holding of Parliamentary and Local Government Elections and all activities pertinent to these elections are regulated by the Representation of People Act and the Local Governance Act.
Previous Electoral Advisory Committee
The Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) was established in 1979, dissolved in 2006 and replaced by the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ). Errol Miller was the last Chairman of the EAC, from December 2000 to December 2006, and the first Chairman of the ECJ from December 2006 to December 2012.
Membership
Membership of the Electoral Commission is governed by the Electoral Commission (Interim) Act (2006).[3] The commission has nine members appointed by the Governor-General, as follows:
Four Selected Commissioners jointly agreed upon by both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition.
The eight Commissioners unanimously nominate the Director of Elections
The Commissioners also nominate one their number to be Chairman of the Commission
Selected Commissioners and the Director of Elections are appointed for a period of seven years, while Nominated Commissioners serve for four years.[6] The Director of Elections and the Selected Commissioners are disqualified by law to vote in any General or Local Government Elections or referendums.
List of Electoral Commissioners
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